Performance Critique: The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a well-loved classic. The stage show I saw was performed at the Princess Theatre in Decatur, AL on Halloween. Goethe gives us three questions with which we can evaluate a stage performance: what is the artist trying to say/do, did they succeed, and was it worth it. The many artists of the Princess Theater intended to recreate old memories for the audience while also creating new ones. The artists succeeded at both and it was absolutely worth doing.
Goethe’s primary question is concerned with what the artist is trying to say/do. Because The Rocky Horror Show is a classic, I believe the artists were aiming to allow the crowd to relive their favorite things about it, while also creating some new memories. The crowd was ecstatic about every song, every famous quote they remembered, every dance move, and every character. They knew it by heart but they still wanted to watch it again because they loved it. Half of the audience had never seen The Rocky Horror Show as a stage performance. I could tell that the actors’ objective was to cause the audience to relive their beloved class from the beginning of the show. The two “announcers” began the show by doing the most famous song/dance from the show with the audience. The audience loved it. That interaction, however, was not the only one. The actors interacted with the audience throughout the entire performance. They actually had an actor sit in the audience to yell things in an attempt to make the audience laugh. He interacted the entire time by shouting at the actors and laughing with audience members. During the rain scene, he jumped up with a squirt bottle and sprayed audience members, pretending it was rain. In addition to recreating old memories, the artists also purposed to create new memories. Simply performing The Rocky Horror Show live was one of the ways they fulfilled this objective. Seeing it performed in person is a very different experience from watching it on a screen. This classic was able to come alive in a whole new way to the audience. Another way they did this was by encouraging the audience to participate. Anything the actors did was done with the intention of the crowd participating too. The audience participated through dancing, singing, yelling, laughing, and answering questions asked by the cast.
Second, Goethe asks if the artists succeeded in saying/doing what they intended to say/do. They definitely succeeded. It was obvious that the audience was getting to relive their Rocky Horror Show experience. Not only did they get to relive it, but they loved every minute of it. Additionally, the artists succeeded at creating new memories for the audience. The audience saw their classic through new eyes due to the fact that it was performed live. They had new interactions with The Rocky Horror Show. Rather than watching it rain, for example, the audience felt the rain. Rather than watching a dance they were asked to join in. Rather than watching a film on TV, they enjoyed it with an entire active audience. The audience members got to dance and sing the night away in a new way to an old favorite.
Finally, Goethe questions whether it was worth saying/doing. First of all, performing a film on stage is definitely worth doing. It always give people a new and different experience. Second, performing a classic is always worth doing. People want to see a classic more than once, and because theatre allows for a different interpretation for each play, the classic can be represented through multiple different facets. Looking at the audience having fun is proof that it was worth it for the artists to revive these memories/feelings for them. They had such a good time. One glance at the audience will also tell you that it was worth it for the audience to create new memories for them. Their happiness with The Rocky Horror Show was doubled because of every new “surprise” provided by the actors.
Personally, I had never heard of The Rocky Horror Show until I went to the Princess Theatre and saw it. I had no idea what it was about, but most of my fellow audience members knew every word. There is nothing I would add to the play, but there are a few things I would change. The first thing I would change is the actor they put in the audience. Usually, he annoyed me more than he made me laugh. He talked too much. Sometimes he talked over the actors and we could not hear what the actors were saying. Sometimes the simple fact that he commented too much made his comments less humorous. In addition, all but one of his comments were sexual. I now know that The Rocky Horror Show does have a lot of sexually explicit scenes, but I felt like his comments made it too immature. His comments sounded like they placed an immature boy in the audience rather than a comedic actor there to enhance the performance. I think if someone is actually funny, they can make people laugh without being dirty. However, I did laugh really hard at a few things he said. Second, I would change some of the costumes. Most of the actresses were dressed in lingerie or skimpy outfits. However, most of their costumes did not flatter their body types at all. Because the costumes were not very flattering, it made them seem unprofessional.
The Rocky Horror Show is a well-loved classic. The stage show I saw was performed at the Princess Theatre in Decatur, AL on Halloween. Goethe gives us three questions with which we can evaluate a stage performance: what is the artist trying to say/do, did they succeed, and was it worth it. The many artists of the Princess Theater intended to recreate old memories for the audience while also creating new ones. The artists succeeded at both and it was absolutely worth doing.
Goethe’s primary question is concerned with what the artist is trying to say/do. Because The Rocky Horror Show is a classic, I believe the artists were aiming to allow the crowd to relive their favorite things about it, while also creating some new memories. The crowd was ecstatic about every song, every famous quote they remembered, every dance move, and every character. They knew it by heart but they still wanted to watch it again because they loved it. Half of the audience had never seen The Rocky Horror Show as a stage performance. I could tell that the actors’ objective was to cause the audience to relive their beloved class from the beginning of the show. The two “announcers” began the show by doing the most famous song/dance from the show with the audience. The audience loved it. That interaction, however, was not the only one. The actors interacted with the audience throughout the entire performance. They actually had an actor sit in the audience to yell things in an attempt to make the audience laugh. He interacted the entire time by shouting at the actors and laughing with audience members. During the rain scene, he jumped up with a squirt bottle and sprayed audience members, pretending it was rain. In addition to recreating old memories, the artists also purposed to create new memories. Simply performing The Rocky Horror Show live was one of the ways they fulfilled this objective. Seeing it performed in person is a very different experience from watching it on a screen. This classic was able to come alive in a whole new way to the audience. Another way they did this was by encouraging the audience to participate. Anything the actors did was done with the intention of the crowd participating too. The audience participated through dancing, singing, yelling, laughing, and answering questions asked by the cast.
Second, Goethe asks if the artists succeeded in saying/doing what they intended to say/do. They definitely succeeded. It was obvious that the audience was getting to relive their Rocky Horror Show experience. Not only did they get to relive it, but they loved every minute of it. Additionally, the artists succeeded at creating new memories for the audience. The audience saw their classic through new eyes due to the fact that it was performed live. They had new interactions with The Rocky Horror Show. Rather than watching it rain, for example, the audience felt the rain. Rather than watching a dance they were asked to join in. Rather than watching a film on TV, they enjoyed it with an entire active audience. The audience members got to dance and sing the night away in a new way to an old favorite.
Finally, Goethe questions whether it was worth saying/doing. First of all, performing a film on stage is definitely worth doing. It always give people a new and different experience. Second, performing a classic is always worth doing. People want to see a classic more than once, and because theatre allows for a different interpretation for each play, the classic can be represented through multiple different facets. Looking at the audience having fun is proof that it was worth it for the artists to revive these memories/feelings for them. They had such a good time. One glance at the audience will also tell you that it was worth it for the audience to create new memories for them. Their happiness with The Rocky Horror Show was doubled because of every new “surprise” provided by the actors.
Personally, I had never heard of The Rocky Horror Show until I went to the Princess Theatre and saw it. I had no idea what it was about, but most of my fellow audience members knew every word. There is nothing I would add to the play, but there are a few things I would change. The first thing I would change is the actor they put in the audience. Usually, he annoyed me more than he made me laugh. He talked too much. Sometimes he talked over the actors and we could not hear what the actors were saying. Sometimes the simple fact that he commented too much made his comments less humorous. In addition, all but one of his comments were sexual. I now know that The Rocky Horror Show does have a lot of sexually explicit scenes, but I felt like his comments made it too immature. His comments sounded like they placed an immature boy in the audience rather than a comedic actor there to enhance the performance. I think if someone is actually funny, they can make people laugh without being dirty. However, I did laugh really hard at a few things he said. Second, I would change some of the costumes. Most of the actresses were dressed in lingerie or skimpy outfits. However, most of their costumes did not flatter their body types at all. Because the costumes were not very flattering, it made them seem unprofessional.