(Why 'increasingly troubled', you ask? I'll get to that at the end.)
Well, thankfully, the weather last night was a pleasant change from last month - it was actually comfortably warm, as opposed to bitter cold. Usually at this point, I would say, "Oh, the audience last night was SO disappointing", but I can't, because I'm in awe at the crowd that eventually came! While the attendance was terrifying at first (for about fifteen minutes, I actually thought I was the *only* paying customer), most of the crowd came closer to 12:00, and were very enthusiastic - especially compared to the weaker, mostly virgin crowd after Thanksgiving. Glad to see some folks back who I saw being sacrificed in previous months.
You'll also notice that my reviews always talk about how pleased I was at the evening's configuration of the cast. :-) Well, last night was no exception - I got to see Jordan as Riff Raff for the first time, and knowing that he did it before, I think he did a great job after month after month of being Frank. I also had the privilege of watching TWO Rockys, both unfamiliar to me; and this was a major highlight of the show. Like Rage of the Stage's decision to split Riff Raff into two characters, having two pairs of gold shorts running in opposite directions was both utterly bizarre and hilarious. I wouldn't mind seeing either of those folks back. And of course, as seems to be the trend nowadays, I was able to see Manni in *yet another* character (following, I think, Frank, Rocky and Janet in monthly succession); I asked before if she'd ever played Magenta because I thought she looked like she could pull off the part well, and in the end she did. I thought she was able to capture Magenta's dark, sunken-eyed beauty (for lack of a better description) quite well.
I *loved* the high level of audience interaction this month, and would love to see that continued in the future. (Besides the usual bedroom scenes across the lap of a few unsuspecting patrons, Janet did her stumble-stumble-fall across my row, which I thought was an interesting touch; and the creation scene was replaced this month with a very unexpected RickRoll, culminating in a conga line through the audience! It was such an awesome event, it's sad that it would only work once!) A handful of audience members were also used for another scene, though I can't remember which one - and I personally think that was a great idea that deserves more exploration. I know that the norm is for the actors to interact with (or on) the audience, but maybe the audience could have the opportunity to interact with the actors more. Like, say, pulling out a line of folks to do the step-kick "Hot Patootie" dance. Well, just a thought...
I have another suggestion as well - I know that the Tim Curry videos are a mainstay (and I certainly don't want to see them leave), but why not throw in something new for people who continually come back, like Meatloaf's "Paradise By The Dashboard Light", Nell's "Do The Swim" and "Stilettos and Lipstick" videos, or, if you're REALLY daring, "Once In A While"? Again, just a thought...
What did worry me about last night, though, was the lack of a Columbia. Whether the words of a mere groupie matter, I'm not sure, but I'll say it anyway - I urge *everyone* here with transportation to consider auditioning for the cast. Don't be shy - show the world how good you look in garters!
But all in all, I think the show last night went *really* well. Everyone involved seemed very into it (especially the two Rockys) and the audience definitely sounded like they loved it. If anything, though, I'm definitely inspired to think of ways in which to pull in more people. They're out there, I'm very sure of it. :-)
I would like to end this on a more personal note... I mentioned in the title of the post that I'm an 'Increasingly Troubled' groupie. While I plan to elaborate on this much further in the future (I haven't had the opportunity to write it yet), I'll say briefly that I've come to the time that I'm sure a few other RHPS fans have reached where their family is alarmingly far less than enthusiastic about their continued activity in the Rocky community; unfortunately in my case, this has grown to the point of truly bizarre behavior, such as family members accusing me of taking part in things that never happened. I've had to make a very difficult choice to either leave Rocky and regain the respect of a family that judges me and makes me feel extremely unwelcome; or to stick with Rocky, and pay a monthly visit to the family that I truly feel welcome with; and I've made my decision. I don't need to justify myself or my actions to anyone, be they parents or anyone else. My family is at the Oaks Theater - and so long as I can get there, I will continue to be there.
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