Friday, October 20, through Saturday, October 28
Circa '21 Speakeasy, 1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Let's do the “Time Warp” again! For the second year in a row, the Circa '21 Speakeasy will stage the cult-musical smash The Rocky Horror Show, treating audiences to live performances of classic songs and, of course, prop bags to complete the interactive experience.
A humorous tribute to “B”-grade sci-fi and horror films, composer Richard O'Brien's musical finds the newly engaged Brad and Janet arriving at the home of one Dr. Frank N. Furter, a sweet transvestite who's ready to unveil his new creation: an artificially made, fully grown, physically perfect muscle man who comes complete “with blond hair and a tan.” The original London production of Rocky Horror, which opened in 1973, ran for 2,960 performances and won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical.
But the material wasn't nearly as big a hit in the United States until 1975's film version The Rocky Horror Picture Show began emerging as a genuine cult phenomenon, with the stage musical subsequently enjoying national and internationally touring productions all over the world. When Rocky Horror last appeared on Broadway in 2000, its cast included Tony nominees Daphne Rubin-Vega and Raúl Esparza, Tony winners Alice Ripley and Jarrod Emick, rock legend Joan Jett, and TV icon Dick Cavett.
Circa '21 veterans Bret and Erin Churchill again serve as Rocky Horror's directors, with Reader reviewer Jeff Ashcraft calling last year's production “rowdy, bawdy, R-rated, full-contact theatre that … earned a raucous, opening-performance standing ovation.” And featured in this year's cast are: Chase Austin (Rocky), Kathryn Jecklin (Usherette/Magenta), Aaron Johnson (Dr. Scott), Doug Kutzli (Narrator), Joanna Mills (Janet), Max Moline (Eddie), Nicholas Munson (Riff Raff), Sunshine Ramsey (Columbia), Tommy Ratkiewicz Stierwalt (Brad), and Dion Stover (Frank 'N' Furter).
The Rocky Horror Show will be performed on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. (ages 18 and older) and 11 p.m. (ages 21 and older), and tickets are $20-25, with prop bags available for $3. For more information and reservations, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit TheCirca21Speakeasy.com.
