A blend of charm and menace

In the Roadhouse’s ‘Rocky Horror Concert,’ Alex Bolla owns the stage as a commanding Frank-N-Furter.

REVIEW by Dave Richards Staff writer

You wouldn’t want to see Rocky Balboa in concert, warbling “Adrian!” Making a Rocky and Bullwinkle musical wouldn’t be too bright, either. But putting on a “Rocky Horror Concert” that features all the songs — but not all the scenes — from “The Rocky Horror Show” at Halloween time? That idea rocks. So does the Roadhouse Theatre’s current production, which had a rocky moment or two on opening night, but still served up a triumphantly outrageous good time.

This “Rocky” — fast becoming a Roadhouse staple — features a mostly new cast from the 2005 production, but it acquits itself nicely where it counts, with the show’s stellar songs.

The key holdover is Alex Bolla as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the controlling, insatiable, bisexual, cross-dressing scientist from another galaxy (that’d be Transylvania). He’s building a muscle man to relieve his tension, not to mention getting it on with both Brad and Janet, an innocent betrothed couple who stumble across his castle on a rainy night.

Sex-crazed Frankie can’t get enough, and his escapades — shown through projections, including one oversized prop — provide this sci-fi and horror spoof with its wildest, bawdiest moments. Half the crowd laughs — which seems appropriate, considering how campy the scenes are played — and the other half gasps.

In a role that demands a lot of charisma and a little bravery — it can’t be too fun wearing those fishnet stockings — Bolla owns the stage, playing Frank with the right blend of seductive charm and chilling, deadly menace. He’s a commanding presence.

He also has a killer voice that can belt out a glam-rocker such as “Sweet Transvestite” as well as the bittersweet ballad “I’m Going Home.” You almost feel bad for the guy, until he kills a former creation and serves him up for dinner.

RYAN DAWLEY SWITCHES FROM Bat Boy, the title character of the Roadhouse’s previous production, to nerd boy in “Rocky.” Looking like a young, nebbish Al Franken — a disturbing prospect in its own right — he’s totally convincing and, like Bolla, also sports a strong voice.

Kayla McGhee, if not quite on par with her assured co-stars, does a good job showing Janet Weiss’ slide from virgin to slut (“Touch-A Touch-A Me”). A couple Erie rockers — Jon Miller from Black Rose Diary and Rob Burke of the Trashed — appear in “Rocky,” lending it an authentic rock kick. Burke, as Eddie, seemed tentative until breaking into “Hot Patootie,” which cured that.

Miller must have studied Richard O’Brien, who wrote and conceived “Rocky Horror” and played Riff Raff. He sounds remarkably like him, especially during “Time Warp,” when Miller nails the climactic line, “Like you’re under sedation!”

Lara Snavely (Magenta) and Jessica Ciccone (Columbia) play appropriately sleazy foils to Frankn-Furter, while narrator Jerry Brace excels as the morbidly dull narrator. He keeps a straight face as fans toss zingers like grenades.

The shout-outs make “Rocky Horror” unique. For example, when Frank-n-Furter asserts that Rocky (James Kenworthy) has the Charles Atlas seal of approval, audience members bark like seals. When Frank disapprovingly tells Rocky, “That’s no way to handle your first day out,” the audience chimes in, “… of the closet!”

That’s just two of the cleaner moments. Most of the interactive bits are R-rated. Of course, when fans aren’t tossing out lines, they’re tossing rolls of toilet paper, playing cards, and confetti. They’re flicking Bics, holding newspapers over their heads, and firing squirt guns. Helped by “popcorns” — ushers and usherettes made up like horror creatures — they also dance the pelvic-thrusting “Time Warp.”

The Pink Bombers (Rick DiBello, Graham Scott, Doug Russell, Tom Kitchen) give the score an edge and adrenaline kick, while Alethea Bodine, who co-directs with DiBello, provides lively, exciting choreography that helps the show zip along briskly. Though a microphone briefly failed near the end, and a couple scene transitions took too long to develop, they didn’t slow down the fun or madcap energy.

It was also cool to see the Roadhouse break in “Rocky Horror” firsttimers beforehand by popping balloons between their legs. That was a good idea. Better than, say, serving them Rocky Road ice cream.

‘The Rocky Horror Concert’ is directed by Rick DiBello and Alethea Bodine with Alex Bolla, Kayla McGhee, Ryan Dawley, Jon Miller, Lara Snavely. It’s playing Friday at 9 p.m., and Saturday at 9 p.m. and midnight at the Roadhouse Theatre, 145 W. 11th St. Tickets are $15, $20 for riser seats, and are available at the box office, 456-5656. Goodie bags with
props are $3.