Every year, Athens welcomes Lost Flamingo Theatre Company’s annual rendition of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Hosted at The Union, the show has become a student favorite on campus for its themes of acceptance, pleasure and owning your identity. Also, it’s well known for its array of costumes students choose to put together, from feather boas to fishnets matched with black and red corsets.
Celebrating 20 years of the show, it was simply a perfect display of every cast member’s talent and individuality. Following innocent sweethearts Brad and Janet as they discover the mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a cross-dressing scientist, the show sees the two lose their innocence as they are introduced to the doctor’s posse.
Walking in on his latest experiment, which is Frank-N-Furter’s attempt to make the “perfect man,” the musical focuses on this plot line, causing it to be a quite chaotic and entertaining one. The audience picked up on this pretty easily, cheering and screaming for each character as they strutted around the stage, as well as ran through the crowd.
This year, there were many newcomers to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” including Lily Greiser as Brad and The Post’s own Katie Millard as Janet. Other new cast mates were Max Burton as The Criminologist, as well as director Maxwell Levitsky. It was refreshing to see a new interpretation of the beloved musical, and it felt like an entirely new show with these fresh additions.
The musical opened with the “whoruses,” who were all incredible. Wearing different forms of lingerie that fitted each of their personalities, they helped get the crowd energized beforehand with songs like “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj and “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, and it made the wait well worth it.
Once the show started, viewers were transported into the late 1970s, where Brad and Janet are reflecting on their relationship after attending a wedding together. Brad proposes, and thus the two head off into the sunset, when a treacherous storm hits. Missing the right exit home, they stumble upon Frank-N-Furter’s mansion, and this is where the incredible Quinn Bennett came in.
Looking stunning in dark eyeshadow, a bold red lip and shiny pearls, it was like watching the original version of the character. With amazing facial expressions and dramatic lip-synching of songs like “Sweet Transvestite” “I Can Make You a Man” and “I’m Going Home,” Bennett won over the crowd as he moved up and down the stage.
Meanwhile, Frank-N-Furter’s sidekicks, Magenta and Riff Raff, were just as captivating, glaring into the crowd with such condescension and mystery that it was hard not to look away. Played by Makenzie Price and Heylea Allan, they also acted extremely well alongside Bennett, Millard and Greiser, working their magic as they exposed the couple to Frank-N-Furter’s lab.
One of the best moments of the night was the creation of Rocky himself, who was played by another member of The Post, Alex Imwalle. Rising from Frank-N-Furter’s electric shock pool, the audience erupted as Imwalle ran around the stage, imitating the newly formed man. With great chemistry between Imwalle and Bennett, the crowd could be heard laughing and cheering the two on as they danced around together, which was a heartfelt scene.
As Brad and Janet become fully immersed in Frank-N-Furter’s world, the two begin to separate from one another, thanks to the help of the doctor. The funniest and most iconic scene follows when the couple is separated into two different rooms, which the doctor both visits. When he goes to see Janet, Frank-N-Furter imitates Brad, which she slowly picks up on as the two begin to kiss. As soon as Janet realizes this, she begins to panic, but eventually gives into temptation, spending the night with the doctor.
With spot-on imitations of Janet, Millard brought the innocence and guilt out of her character, causing her interactions with Bennett to be some of her best. Meanwhile, Greiser shined as Frank-N-Furter entered Brad’s room, this time imitating Janet.
This part of the show every year is arguably one of its most sexual, with Greiser and Bennett grabbing onto each other and reenacting certain sexual situations the film suggests. Without being too revealing, it was the right amount of sensuality for the audience, which was definitely at their loudest during this scene.
After Brad and Janet lose their innocence, Janet shares another sensual moment with Rocky, while Frank-N-Furter’s jealousy reaches its height. Random interruptions to the night also happen when a biker named Eddie, played by Carrie Love, crashes into the mansion. As a result of his rage, Frank-N-Furter kills Eddie, and Brad and Janet begin to realize he’s not as warm and inviting as he once seemed.
Trying to escape, Brad, Janet, Rocky and Frank-N-Furter’s gang are all trapped by the doctor, freezing them into stone. Then, a weird transition occurs and the characters are performing in black corsets and fishnets, singing about their newfound pleasure with sex. Frank-N-Furter also comes out and performs, diving into the same pool Rocky was made in. With tears streaming down Bennett’s face, it was a stunning rendition of the scene, but sadly sees the doctor’s demise as Magenta and Riff Raff kill him as well.
The demise of Frank-N-Furter leads to the remaining characters escaping the mansion, except for Rocky, who tries to climb the walls of the mansion with the doctor on his back, causing the two to fall to their deaths. However, Brad and Janet escape, crawling around in the dirt, signaling the end of the show.
Overall, the performances mentioned were all some of Athens’ best, proving how “The Rocky Horror Picture Shows” continues to become more fun and diverse every year.
Watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show video below!
