The Asheville Community Theatre presented “The Rocky Horror Show” this Halloween season. The cult classic show has thrilled audiences for more than 50 years and the cast and crew are gearing up to do the “Time Warp” again.
The show follows an all-American couple, Brad and Janet, as they stumble upon Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s castle for a night of absolute mayhem.
“The first time I saw it was in 2019 and one of my sisters took me. She was like ‘I did this in college and you’re about to start college – we gotta get you initiated,’” said Director MJ Gamelin, a UNC Asheville graduate. “It was just so much fun. It was one of the first productions where I felt like I was a part of it as an audience member.”
Known for its themes of sexual liberation, self-discovery and the subversion of societal norms, the show has built a reputation for its immersive audience experience.
“It’s gonna be spooky, sexy, queer, fun. It’s just such a great way for people to connect with our community and connect with each other over ridiculous, ridiculous fun,” Gamelin said.
The stage musical preceded a 1975 film adaptation and includes familiar songs such as “Time Warp,” “Touch-A, Touch-a, Touch Me,” “Sweet Transvestite,” as well as several songs and scenes that were cut from the movie.
The production features over-the-top costumes, makeup and choreography in the make-shift spirit of “Rocky Horror,” Gamelin said. Leksykhana “LJ” Jordan, a California Institute of the Arts graduate, choreographed the show.
“When we’re in sync, sometimes we have the same thought in our head. It’s wild. It gives me chills. We really step back for each other to have space and then come in when we need. I really feel very comfortable around MJ and I trust our process a lot,” Jordan said.
Gamelin has worked at the ACT for more than three years, and “The Rocky Horror Show” marks his solo directorial debut. Jordan got her start at ACT this year as an actor in the production of “The Little Mermaid.”
The 36-year-old choreographer said she has worked in the professional dance world for the majority of her career.
“This is my first full-length musical I’ve ever choreographed. It’s pretty much my breakthrough into theatre,” Jordan said.
According to Jordan, working in a community theater is a unique challenge as the volunteer actors could be anywhere from seasoned performers, to first-time dancers.
“There’s all these new pathways of the body that I end up learning from working in community theater which I feel like overall, I prefer. There’s an openness and a willingness and it humbles me a lot. It makes me, I think, a better person overall,” Jordan said.
The 16-member volunteer cast rehearses five times a week to bring the show to life.
“I’m so excited about this cast,” Gamelin said. “In a show that has so many larger than life characters, I really love that our cast has brought something unique and original to it.”
“The Rocky Horror Show” is notorious for its use of audience interaction and a longstanding tradition of audience callouts, and according to Gamelin, the Asheville Community Theatre will not be straying from tradition.
“We’re doing all the audience participation and callouts,” Gamelin said. “It will be equally fun for the people who know all the callouts and for the people who don’t.”
The theater also sold interactive show kits before the performance, “it’s just a really fun way to get the audience involved,” Gamelin said.
“The stuff that really makes theatre special, and especially this show, is the people that are doing it,” Gamelin said. “When people are in community theatre shows, they’re not being paid, they are doing it for the experience, they are doing it because they love it and that love really shows in the final product.”
Performances ran Oct. 24 through Nov. 2.
“It is so awesome being in a place where everybody wants to be here and everyone wants to be a part of it. It is something that I have not found in a lot of other places in my life,” Gamelin said.
For more information about future shows, visit ashevilletheatre.org.
