Everything goes in this naughty, gender-bending musical

Given that The Rocky Horror Show is now over a half-century old, you’d be forgiven if you grouped it with other musical warhorses like Oklahoma! or Phantom of the Opera. Somehow, though, Rocky seems ageless — a throwback to be sure, but one that fits into the latest zeitgeist and endlessly appealing even to younger audiences.

It was a big swing for young queer-focused theatre company Two Cent Lion to take on, but the production now up at The People’s Building in Aurora carries Rocky’s torch with pride and professionalism.

Directed by Tamarra Nelson, this absolutely ridiculous, highly campy musical is brought to stage by an all-local cast in a venue that ensures the audience is very close to the action. The playing stage affords plenty of room for the action to take place, and a live band drives the iconic musical numbers ranging from “Sweet Transvestite” to “Time Warp.”

Richard O’Brien wrote the original musical with many of those old sci-fi movies from the ’50s and ’60s in mind. In the opening number — “Science Fiction/Double Feature,” Sam Barrasso belts out the list of films and the longing to see them with her powerful voice. On the projection screen, we see clips from the films themselves aligned with the lyrics. It’s a nice touch by Two Cent Lion’s Kevin Douglas, who designed all of the projections from the film. Short of a million-dollar budget to create an elaborate set, the projections augment the action throughout the show.

When it came out, Rocky was a shocking exploration of gender fluidity and identity that you’d think would have drawn a lot of negative attention. But despite some hand-wringing, it flew under the radar simply because the haters of the time probably didn’t know what to make of “transsexuals” and “transvestites.” The stage musical and the 1975 film, then, became a touchstone for the queer community — a place where you could dress up however you liked, be yourself and not be hassled. That may well explain why the film is the longest-running release in film history and why it’s a nice fit for a company like Two Cent Lion.

(L-R) Sam Evins, Tamrara Dimant, Gabriel Smothers, Carly Wells, Sam Barrasso and Sam Webb | Photo: Kalen Jesse Photography

Chaos in the castle

Call them dorks or muggles or whatever, but newly engaged couple Brad and Janet are the catalyst for most of the action within the creepy castle they come to after car trouble hits. Carly Wells is a perfect Janet in every way, establishing her purity in “Dammit, Janet” with the equally wet-behind-the-ears Brad. Sam Evins may not have the strong singing voice Wells does, but he nails the nerd and stays in the saddle as Brad goes on the ride of his life.

The rest of the plot is an absurdist take on the mad scientist trope on a “mission” of some sort. This is Dr. Frank N’ Furter, played by Gabriel Smothers. He’s surrounded by acolytes such as the Igor character Riff Raff (Tamara Dimant), Magenta (Barrasso), Columbia (Liyah Patrick) and a trio of “Phantoms” who act as a mini ensemble (Grace Akatsu, May Wadsworth and Sam Webb).

On opening night, some of the cast seemed like they were holding back. I really wanted to see Smothers and Dimant turn it up to 11. Smothers certainly has what it takes to pump Frank up to another level. For Riff Raff, the lurking menace of the character is swapped out for a lot of snark, which just isn’t who the character is in my mind. I wasn’t wholly convinced by Chelle Love as the Eddie character (Meat Loaf in the film); again, the performance just seemed too understated for Rocky.

As Frank’s creation Rocky, Wesley Mysinger is a delight. What he lacks in acting experience he more than makes up for with the perfectly ripped body, an abundance of athleticism and a simplistic charm that makes him a show-stealer in places. Patrick as Columbia is also appropriately big and bold and a lot of fun to watch.

The Phantoms (L-R): May Wadsworth, Sam Webb and Grace Akatsu | Photo: Kalen Jesse Photography

Two Cent Lion’s production overall is a fun, rowdy romp that does justice to the material with taut direction by Nelson and simple but effective choreography by Diewo Pando. One of the key scenes, where Frank seduces Brad and Janet separately behind a lit curtain, was well done and pretty risqué — and therefore hilarious. (This is definitely an R-rated kinda thing.)

Other standouts include Frank’s “I Can Make You a Man” and his finale “I’m Going Home,” Janet’s “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me” and “Over at the Frankenstein Place.”

While most of the remaining shows are typical 7 p.m. performances with no call-and-response or props, Two Cent has teamed with Colorado’s Elusive Ingredient to include two “Midnight Madness” immersive shows on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 at 9 p.m. It’s probably fair to say that dressing for the show in your “naughties” is appropriate for any show, but these two shows will also include prop bags and all that interaction the midnight showings of the film became famous for.