Marin Musical Theatre Company (2022) - Novato, CA

Rocky Season 2022 has begun!

Marin Musical Theatre Company joins the ranks of northern California theatres intent on making "Rocky Horror" an annual... affair. Their first production went up in San Anselmo in 2019 (one of the last Rockies I saw before the pandemic hit). This time around, they've partnered with Novato Theatre Company, with a new space in its namesake town. The show is helmed by director Jenny Boynton, who not only plays Janet as well, but also carried both roles in 2019.

(Disclaimer: as always, my reviews assume familiarity with "The Rocky Horror Show" plot and characters.)

Boynton's direction for the show's atmosphere - then and now - is a minimalist set with maximum engagement from the actors. Everyone in the cast was mingling in character with audience members before the show, and all were in the room to cheer on the Virgin ceremony, teach the Time Warp, etc. Most of the cast, at one time or another, kicked up the immersive energy by using space in the aisles, the seating area, or (with consent!) laps of front-row "VIP" patrons.

Getting back to the "minimal" set, though - the exception was an awesome painting of the signature "Rocky Horror Picture Show" lips across the upstage cyclorama. No set designer is credited on the MMTC web site, but rather their Instagram stories showed all of the cast helping to paint the over the outline. It made for the perfect accent of an otherwise fully-actor-driven aesthetic.

One other stand-out aspect of Boynton's direction was the casting of understudies for almost all of the principal roles. Most of the Phantoms were made swings for a different character, with a couple of them specifically billed to go on during certain days. This was a surprising move for a four-week run in a community theatre production, but a smart one; a single Covid case within a cast can eliminate a performance or three (I know this firsthand), and clearly Boynton and the MMTC staff did not care to take chances after investing so much energy.

Now, on to the performances!

Frank N. Furter, played by Stephen Kanaski, naturally stole the show. Kanaski can strut his stuff with the best of them, and I found his Frank to be smoother and more effortlessly sexy than others. Rather than overplaying Frank's outlandishness 100% of the time, Kanaski chooses his moments to be most impactful, particularly in the bedroom scenes. (Courtesy warning to those who sit in the first two rows: watch out for flying... objects.)

Shayla Lawler had one of the more intriguing takes on the Narrator that I've ever seen - rarely, if ever, appearing the same way twice. Each narration speech seemed to feature Lawler in a different costume and often a different vocal inflection. The Narrator's lines include a couple that often seem treated as throwaways, but Lawler actually finds motivation for delivering them, doing so hilariously. Overall, respectable range and a solid underscore to the chaos that is the Transylvanian castle. 

Magenta has always been one of the tougher roles to make memorable, but Anna Vorperian proves up to the challenge. In contrast to Lawler's unpredictable antics, Vorperian plays a "conventional" Magenta, but with a firm grounding in stage technique that brought forth outstanding energy in every scene where she appeared. Her "Science Fiction, Double Feature" as the Usherette was excellent, bolstered further by the returning Columbia, HariettePearl Fugitt.

Anne Clark gave an enjoyable performance as Rocky Horror himself. I have seen Rocky (and other male roles) played by actresses before, and I appreciate when directors cast whoever they feel is best for the role without regard to gender. Clark immediately earned her spot with soaring vocals in "Sword of Damocles."

Choreographing the madness (for the second time!) was Katie Wickes. In between the group numbers that made effective use of her ensemble and the stage space, Wickes added a few creative touches that made the spectacle her own. The coolest of these came in Columbia's "Time Warp" tap solo, except Fugitt (Columbia) was joined by a veritable chorus line of four other tappers, including (without explanation, but who needs it?) Brad and Janet.

After their first foray in 2019, MMTC's 2022 "Rocky Horror" builds on what they aim to bring to the table as annual "Rocky" producers, while throwing in plenty of curveballs that keep the show fresh for diehard fans like myself. Definitely catch it while you can!

Marin Musical Theatre Company's "Rocky Horror Show" plays through October 31, 2022. Tickets and production info can be found at marinmusicals.org/