Review: The Rocky Horror Show at Green Valley Theatre Company

This year marks Green Valley Theatre Company's 11th run of beloved musical, The Rocky Horror Show, and based on the enthusiasm shown by both audience and cast, it's unlikely the company will retire the cult favorite any time soon.

Recently engaged couple Brad (Cole Forstedt) and Janet (Ashley Rose) stumble upon an anachronistic castle in the midst of a violent storm. Upon meeting the owner, Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Ryan Kevin-Patrick Allen), the strait-laced, sexually repressed couple find themselves caught up in a swirling fever dream of hedonistic decadence within Frank-N-Furter's gothic pleasure den.

What makes Rocky special is its heavy reliance on audience participation. Throughout the show, members are encouraged to shout insults and witticisms as they anticipate each characters' dialogue. While some shows traditionally involve tossing things like toast, Green Valley's production specifically prohibits this for safety reasons. Sorry, toast.

There's also something to be said about how things like calling Janet a “slut,” might raise some eyebrows today. Does the campy nature and cultural context surrounding the production excuse its outdated notions of gender and sexuality? If the show can evolve to include President Trump jokes, can other aspects evolve?

Still, the cast is incredibly fun to watch—it takes a lot of skill to stay in character when people are constantly interjecting “a--hole” from the bleachers. Allen is especially electric as the lead, Dr. Frank-N-Furter.