Silly Little Country

Canadian Stage's "Rocky Horror Show"

Our Canadian Stage Season for this year has ended now, and we went to see the final show, "The Rocky Horror Show", rather than simply give the tickets away. Overall, we are happy with the choice.
Let me start before getting into my own reactions that a good part of the audience rose in a standing ovation, and that as we walked back to our parking lot, the others around us were chattering happily and enthusiastically. This show was very well received by its audience.
For me it had problems. It is an amusing show, if very much of its time. But my overall feeling as I watched it is one that I find so frequently now at Canadian Stage productions, that really excellent performing talent has been assembled to perform a task far below the level at which these performers can produce.
As the show began there was a sense of fun as 'usherettes' circulated in the audience in odd outfits. But as the show opened, and I expected to hear and enjoy the fine opening song from the movie, "Science Fiction", my heart sank. It was almost impossible to understand a single word in the lyrics. It became clear later from other work from the singer, Alison Somerville, that her singing was fine; there was just something awfully wrong with the sound system. The rather random ability to make out lyrics at some times and not at others persisted through the whole show, and it was independent of who was singing. It was clear every performer had a great voice and fine diction, but that somehow their voices could just get lost. OK - I know I am a fanatic on this - I hate musicals where I cannot understand the lyrics. And I hated this. It was not fair to the audience and it was particularly unfair to the performers. Now Canadian Stage's musical history is not extensive but I get the feeling they need to look for help when they take this form on. It seems odd to me in a way - I thought one of the best things I ever saw from Canadian Stage was "The House of Martin Guerre", which was an extremely well-done musical. Where did they lose it?
What did I really like? Wow - the performers! I had never heard of Adam Brazier, but can certainly see why he is a star. Across the board, though, I thought the cast did what they had to do. I had seen reviews not too impressed by Mairi Babb and Ron Pederson, but I thought they were fine; the supporting roles, in a way, were even better manned - Alison Somerville as Magenta, had a great voice, and a superb outfit. Gerard Everard as Rocky was a lovely antidote to the movie's Rocky. (Whom did he play in CanStage's "Hair"? I do not recall.)
Steven Gallagher was a delightful Riff-Raff, Eddie Glen just fine in his Meat Loaf role, as well as Dr. von Scott. Christine Rossi sounded fine as Columbia (when the sound allowed us to hear what she was singing). And I will say again that Brazier was not Tim Curry, he created a new role that I thought was worth creating.
In the end, the show is largely vacuous, and not in my view really worth re-doing, but it was fun to watch people watch it. Particularly entertaining was seeing parents of my generation (or a little younger) introducing their children, mostly teenage daughters, to the show. This behaviour struck me as very odd, but both generations seemed to be enjoying the process.
I particularly enjoyed the use of John Neville as the on-film narrator. And I must give Martin Bragg (CanStage's artistic producer) credit for appearing in a late slice of film in which the Neville narrator mumbles with disgust as he walks off-screen, "I am so fucking out of here". The problem with that moment is that part of me sympathizes totally with that character. Surely there has to be a a better way to use all this stunning talent?
But then the audience might not be so great, and the show might not have been extended for weeks, as this one has been. I think in terms of what the goals were, it has been a success. I hope that it proves a stepping-stone for many of its participants to shows I would rather watch.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 11:46 AM