Semir Jackson
A&E Editor
On Friday Oct. 31 the Wooster Activities Crew (WAC) and the Queer Student Union (QSU) collaborated to present their shadowcast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Allen Commons. The film follows Brad Majors and Janet Weiss as they stumble upon a mansion inhabited by numerous people, notably scientist Frank-N-Furter and his fellow Transylvanians, Magenta, Riff Raff, and motorcyclist Eddie.
In previous years, WAC showed the film, complete with props for audience engagement. This year, for the first time, a shadowcast was introduced. A shadowcast is a cast of actors that performs alongside the movie as it plays in the background. Co-directed by Gabrielle Risley ’27 and by Kenneth Karenzi ’26, the shadowcast performed onstage in front of the screen, complete with spotlights and props.
The shadowcast began with the song “Science Fiction/Double Feature.” In the movie, the song is sung by Richard O’Brien, who plays Riff Raff, and the red lips are Patricia Quinn, who plays Magenta. During the shadowcast, the lips are made into a character played by Justice Swint ’27, who danced around the stage as the song played behind her.
The show then transitions to the main characters, Brad (Kiara Joyce ’27) and Janet (Summer Dush ’27), outside the church, where their friends just got married. Prior to the show’s beginning the audience was given a paper with callouts on it that could be said at various parts of the show. When Brad appears on screen, the audience says “ASSHOLE!,” and when Janet appears, they go “SLUT!,” and many others.
Reflecting on the performance, Joyce said “My favorite scene to perform is always ‘Damnit Janet.’ This scene was my audition piece, and it became such a staplestable for the way I played Brad. I just kind of drag around my woman and then am upset when she doesn’t give me attention.”
Upon arrival, they are greeted by Riff Raff (Chive Paradowski ’27), one of the three servant-like characters. They are invited inside and the audience is introduced to transvestite scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter (Leo Walsh ’28). As he sings “Sweet Transvestite,” we learn that he wanted a man so badly that he created one himself, i.e. Rocky. He leads Brad and Janet to his lab where the audience is introduced to Rocky (Nathaniel Cox-Thurmond ’27), Furter’s creation. Furter claims he can make Rocky an “ideal man”, but before he can continue, Eddie (Mikey Scott ’28), bursts through a wall on a motorcycle singing “Hot Patootie,” but is killed by Furter upon ending his song..
Walsh reflected on this as his favorite scene to perform and experience in the cast. “Sweet Transvestite, I was incredibly nervous before the show. I had never performed such a “provocative” role as Frank-N-Furter but the immediate support from the audience, cast and crew with my entrance made all the nerves and go away and I was able to really have fun knowing everyone was there for a good time and wouldn’t hold it against me if I made a mistake.”
Brad and Janet are then shown to separate rooms, where they are seduced by Furter. While Brad is in bed with Frank, Janet goes on to seduce Rocky as the song “Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me” plays. While this is happening, Dr. Everett Scott (Joseph Russo ’26) visits the castle searching for his nephew, Eddie, who happens to be Brad’s former science professor. More uncomfortable situations play out as characters recognize each other and are found in compromising positions.
After those events, everyone shares an awkward dinner where Furter uncovers Eddie’s body and reveals that the meal has been made from his brain. After hearing this, Janet turns into Rocky’s arms, leading to her getting chased by an enraged Furter. The guests end up in Furter’s lab, frozen in place and turned into puppets. The climax of the performance begins as Riff Raff and another servant, Magenta (Katie Koeppl ’26), tell Furter that he failed the mission, and Riff Raff kills him. Rocky, saddened by this, carries Frank’s body and then falls to his death. Riff Raff then explains to Brad, Janet and Dr. Scott that they were returning to their planet, Transexual, and that they should leave immediately. They leave as Riff Raff and Magenta take the castle and leave.
As a first-time viewer of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, seeing it in this format was a very interesting experience. When asked what their favorite scene to perform was, director Gabby Risley ’27 shared, “The scene at the end where Frank stands up in the aisle and the call out is “stand to your queen” and everyone in the audience stood up and it was such a wonderful moment of togetherness.”
