The horror that will rock you

If you can only see one show between today and December 8 make it The Rocky Horror Show. Bobby Garcia’s Atlantis Productions’ take on this phenomenal for-adults-only musical is a sleek package of great talent and clever staging. The Rocky Horror Show is as much a happening as a show. The minute you are ushered into the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at RCBC Plaza, you unwittingly become a part of the show.

Phantoms in the persons of Jeremy Aguado, Pheona Baranda, Mylene Dizon, Maimai Hernandez, Raul Montesa, Yael Alano Pineda, Gloria Sicam and Niño Volante prowl the orchestra section in costumes that reek of sadomasochism and take-offs from ’80s rock icons Prince, Boy George, Madonna, (costume designer Rajo Laurel being a child of the ’80s.). As you settle down into your seat, do not be alarmed if you find yourself staring eyeball-to-eyeball with one of them.

First staged on June 16, 1973 at the tiny Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre in London’s Sloane Square, The Rocky Horror Show had become a cult first on stage and then on screen. How it became a cult is unique in theater history. It hit a nerve not just of its time but seemingly forever. Its movie version is the longest running in film history with receipts of over US$150 million.

To date, dozens of movie houses around the world still screen it weekly. Studio Galande in Paris’ Rive Gauche continue to show it midnight on Fridays while a Munich theater has continually shown the movie on a daily basis for over 20 years! The Rocky Horror Show creator Richard O’Brien continues to be amazed by its time-transcending appeal and says "it’s really nice to be a part of something that’s made both theatrical and cinematic history."

The musical revolves around the cult of 1950s "B" and even "C" horror, muscle and science fiction movies which hinted at the outrageous but never really delivered the "goods." Creator O’Brien throws into this steamy caldron some sweet-as-apple-pie Frankie Avallon/Annette Funicello (wholesome ’50s teen-age screen love team) outings and rock n’roll music of every vintage to come up with a theater piece that will leave you laughing, hollering invectives (The audience is encouraged to do so with the aid of cue cards that read "slut," "asshole," "shit," etc.) and even dancing. Intimacy with the audience is a key factor and your participation is, in fact, mandated!

The idea here is that you, the audience, are led into a cinema to see a double feature movie of the "B" genre and are welcomed by an usherette, a hell of a dame in the person of song diva Bituin Escalante heavily made up and dressed in a micro miniskirt, black stockings and high heels. She cajoles the audience into buying some popcorn from her. Someone comments that the popcorn is over-priced and gets rebuffed as a "cheapskate motherfucker"! The "film" begins and morphs into a stage performance.

The story unravels as the virginal hero and heroine, the newly engaged Brad (Noel Rayos) and Janet (Cathy Azanza) get lost in their car on the way to see their old science professor Dr. Scott (Aiza Seguerra). It starts to rain and their car conks out. Luckily they have just passed a castle and decide to go there for help. Here they are greeted by the butler Riff Raff (Dawn vocalist Jett Pangan) and meet the master of the house — Frank N’ Furter (Calvin Millado), a trans-sexual from the planet of Transylvania and his followers Columbia (Bituin Escalante), Magenta (Anna Fegi), and the phantoms.

He takes Brad and Janet to see his creation, the body beautiful Rocky Horror (Jay Espano in gold body paint) who is just about to be brought to life. The two are helped out of their "wet" clothes and witness the bringing to life of Rocky, an occurrence marred by the reappearance and ultimate disappearance (Frank N’ Furter stabs him dead after a hot rock n’ roll number) of Eddie (Aiza Seguerra), a delivery boy who was used for a previous experiment of the master of the castle.

It is late and Brad and Janet are forced to stay the night — a stay that leads to the loss of their virginity not with each other as they thought at the start but with the sex-crazed Frank N’ Furter. (Here the bedroom acrobatics are silhouetted behind a white screen.) Janet accidentally witnesses Brad’s exploits with their host on video screen. Incensed, she decides to even up the score by getting intimate with Rocky.

Millado as Frank N’ Furter is a scream. Towering in height, all-male with enormous biceps, cropped hair dyed Madonna blonde and size 13 feet shod in five-inch high platform shoes, the actor-singer was not only in full character throughout the play, but even until curtain call. Garcia’s decision of casting an actor with a lot of beefcake in the role succeeds in producing "the scariest and campiest" fag onstage.

Rajo Laurel’s costume designs for Frank N’ Furter range from an elegant pale blue water repellant (so blood splattered on it can just be wiped off after each performance) lab coat with a pink triangle patch (the symbol of gayhood) with matching pink rubber gloves and a choker of ping-pong-sized beads to high-cut strapless beaded body suits with ruffles in the brightest of colors. When asked how he prepared for so far the most daring role in his career, the actor replied that he relied on his past experience as a ramp model, his director’s instructions and tips from the female cast members. When the latter laughed, he reckoned that what he was doing was right.

The script is spiced with naughty sexual innuendoes and repartees so it is best not to bring kids below 18 years to the theater. The naughties come to a halt with the arrival of the wheel-chaired Dr. Scott, who turns out to be a secret agent looking into unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Former child star and now recording artist Aiza Seguerra plays Dr. Scott. Here play director Garcia further experiments on the novelty of crisscrossing by casting a young female in the role of an elderly male. Seguerra is made to assume a foreign accent. In spite of the makeup and bigger voice, the young girl in Seguerra surfaces from time to time. But what the heck! Everyone’s having a good time and the lady can sing a mean rock n’roll tune.

Escalante as Columbia and Fegi as Magenta dish out some great song numbers. The two ladies are not only mean, wild and sexy, but oozing with a lot of self confidence. Rayos as Brad and Azanza as Janet are funny as the naïve and virginal earthlings. Designer Laurel turned to old Doris Day and Rock Hudson flicks for inspiration in designing their costumes.

Good choreography by Andy Alviz not to mention powerful singing by the cast, live band music under the direction of ManMan Angsico, and stunning costumes by Laurel make Frank N’ Furter’s "floorshow" prior to his return to his planet orgasmic. It is hard to resist dancing the Time Warp with the cast and some people in the audience actually did just that.

Special mention also goes to Michael de Mesa as the Narrator and Chari Arrespacochaga in her cotton candy pink wig who made the audience laugh with her side remarks, cue cards and It’s Now or Never song act. Would you believe that they even raffled off prizes in-between acts?

So how does this wild story end, you ask? You have until Dec. 8 to find out. Enter the world of Rocky Horror and you’re one of the cult members. Take it from one who has fallen under its spell.

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For tickets call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 and TicketWorld at 891-5610.