Riverwalk offers treat for Halloween season

Riverwalk Theatre has taken an innovative approach to its latest production, “The Rocky Horror Show.” Directors Erin Hoffman and Shannon Bowen have created two casts, which flip-flop between performances. There are no matinees since these lunatics need their beauty sleep to recover from these long, dark nights of the soulless.

The show is a spoof on classic science-fiction and horror B-movies. Newly engaged virgins Brad (Michael Palmer) and Janet (Elena Billard) suffer a flat tire during a thunderstorm and take shelter at a nearby castle, the home of transvestite queen Frank-N-Furter (Luka Pawsek) and his minions. Frank-N-Furter brings to life his dream man, Rocky (Ron Meyer), and a night of debauchery ensues as the characters experience every form of coupling possible, including elbow sex.

Virgins — in this case, those who’ve never seen the show or film — should be prepared for audience partici … PATION! There’s a long history of audiences shouting scripted lines at key moments, along with bits of physical interaction, which require certain props. For those moments, Riverwalk is selling prop bags prior to the show. The heckling is guided by audience usherette Trixie, played by Kayla Henry, who’s also working behind the scenes on the makeup crew.

When the cast lists were released, I wanted to review the Rocky cast, being more familiar with the quality of the past work of many of those actors. However, due to scheduling limitations, I booked the Horror cast, none of whom I had seen before. It didn’t matter because the cast is solid, with several standouts.

The key to a successful “Rocky Horror” show is a sexy and magnetic Frank-N-Furter, and Pawsek doesn’t disappoint. He clearly relishes playing one of pop culture’s most iconic libertines. As Riff Raff, Robert Mueller has the ideal powerful pipes for a rock opera. And as the Narrator, former local television personality Matt Ottinger gets to poke fun at himself and his local celebrity status.

While the main cast gets to take a break every other performance, the Phantoms perform in all shows. These phenomenal actors sing, dance and serve as stage crew and sometimes as props, and they’re often as mesmerizing as the lead cast.

While Henry’s and Susie Perazza’s makeup designs are gorgeous all around, in the Horror cast, Magenta (Keara Hayes) stands out. Hayes has a fantastically angular face that allows for a beautifully sculpted, flawlessly malevolent look. Costume designer Morgan Bowen’s bustier-and-fishnet ensembles are impressive, but the final outfits flaunted by Riff Raff and Magenta are truly showstopping.

Seeing one version of the play will surely make audiences keen to see the other cast so they can compare the good, the bad and the really bad — meant in a Mae West, campy-and-trampy kind of way.

Those who aren’t familiar with “Rocky Horror” and those who have delicate sensibilities should enter at their own risk, but for fans of the show, seeing this lively live production is a perfect treat for the Halloween season.