The Rocky Horror Show is a fan-favourite cult classic that always rears its head around the Halloween season. This year is incredibly special because it is celebrating its 50th anniversary. If you’ve never seen the movie, I’d highly recommend watching it and then attending a theatrical screening of it at the Mayfair. The show follows a newly engaged couple whose car breaks down during a storm near a castle. They meet a cavalcade of eccentric characters that whisk them into a world of discovery and liberation. Richard O’Brien wrote the show as a tribute to his beloved genres of B-rate horror and sci-fi shows and the unintentional humour that is present. 

I attended the matinee show, and the first act felt like a matinee show: drained of all energy and fun; however, the second act really picked up from the get-go and was much better! That was thanks in part to Matt Champagne (Frank-N-Furter) really getting into the character and bringing the ridiculousness way up. 

The sets and lights did leave room for a lot of imagination, and it’s no secret that I love simple but functional sets that allow the audience to use their imagination. If most of the show happens in one place, you need to make that one place stand out: to compare, Ride the Cyclone had one of the most incredible designs. This show takes place mostly within the castle and different areas in the castle. I would’ve liked to see them take time to flesh out that world better. 

I feel that the lighting design could have used some work, as most of the time it felt that everything was washed in basic house lighting. During “Rose Tint My World/Floorshow,” that was the peak of overall design with the show that was mirrored in other parts, especially during “Hot Patootie.” I wish there were more rock’n roll LFX and usage of spots to direct attention to Mackenzie Albert (Eddie), who absolutely killed that song. One of the set gags that ruined the immersion of the show was the bed scenes with Frank, Brad, and Janet. If they had put an opening in the back of the bed for the actors to go through, they would’ve made it so that a transition in black wouldn’t look so awkward seeing Brad wait for Janet to leave the bed. 

Dave Rama and McKenna Mellon made an excellent choice of having a rock choir supporting the vocals on the side, that is, when you could hear them. I wish that the choir were mic’d in some fashion, as a lot of their supporting parts were so well done and cohesive that, when you did hear them, they elevated a lot of the songs to the next level. The one thing I did not find as great of a choice was the inclusion of the choir in some of the blocking. I feel that the decision worked at the top of the show; however, at other points it broke the immersion of the world seeing folks in choir robes trickle on stage during “The Time Warp.” 

Some outstanding performances that really sold this show for me came from Tania Gauder (Narrator). An ever-present, omnipresent dominatrix who guides the audience through the night. She had great humour and quick wit, especially in response to the callouts! We also had Salem Valentine (Riff Raff), who was recently nominated as one of Prix Rideau’s Emerging Artists, absolutely ate in their role and left no crumbs. A stellar voice with strong acting decisions made this version of Riff Raff truly their own. I also can’t forget Mackenzie Albert (Eddie), who was astounding and provided rocking vocals to boot!

Lost Baggage Musical Theatre opens their seventh season with a spectacular choice, and it shows how much this company has grown. This production of The Rocky Horror Show was incredible in many aspects and was only lacking in some parts. My honest opinion is that I feel like in the past, LBMT has suffered from putting on too many shows in a season and spreading their resources far too thin. The Shenkman Arts Centre is a fantastic venue and allowed for this show to shine with the space it provided. I can only imagine how much better past shows like A Chorus Line or Addams Family would have been if they had been able to use this space. This production marks a huge turning point in LBMT’s trajectory for me, with their sixth season closing show, Ride the Cyclone, being their best show to date; The Rocky Horror Show comes in a very close second place.