The Rocky Horror Show has cult status globally.
Often this sort of genre is lost outside of the west and in Hong Kong such a production is risky given that it has the potential to flop. Hong Kong audiences can be flat when they just don't get it and then the most prevalent audience participation activity is sleeping.
Last night I attended Dungeon Productions 'The Rocky Horror Show' at Hong Kong Arts Centre, Shouson Theatre in Wan Chai. Audience participation was the key. Oh my word! The foyer was packed full of titillatingly dressed men and women all up for joining in at given times during the show. They were knowledgeable and prepared to reward the cast members with the responses at the right time. The fact that it was Halloween (almost) enhanced the experience so the choice of dressing up costumes ranged from bullet wound in the head man to a blacked up Michael Jackson as well as the more traditional Rocky character costumes and predictably men dressed as tarty women. Yes, given half a chance most men will get out the fishnet stockings and their basque from the back of the underwear drawer to parade in public. They love it, and so do we.
It was a fabulous and technically slick show. I particularly liked Cameraman who was on stage most of the time, shirtless, with a discreet camera on a stick who filmed the actors and simultaneously broadcast the scene on a screen above the stage. The sound could have been better, the use of a hand held microphone didn't work that well as opposed to the radio mics most of the cast wore but that didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment.
I loved Dr Frank en Firter's campness and our humble Narrator tamed the audience perfectly with his hand gestures and comedic pauses. Rocky was terrific, was his torso real? Riff Raff's subservience was excellent and his looks to the audience established the sneaky foreshadowing necessary for us to secretly know he was just biding his time. And it goes without saying that his Time Warp dancing thrilled us all. It's all we were waiting for!
I did wonder whether or not the racy 'shadow' sceens with Brad and Frank en Firter/Janet and Frank en Firter had been vetted by the Hong Kong Fun Police but as we were in Wan Chai where the same thing goes on in real life every night of the week it was, probably, legal?
I saw some of this cast a few years ago when they did the same show at The Fringe Club, a smaller venue then, which I also enjoyed, but last night was so much better. I can only hope that it will become a regular event. Did you know you can go and see Rocky Horror every night in New York. Perhaps, one day, Hong Kong will offer such a treat?
An annuel event - PLEASE.
Thank you to Paul Barker for arranging the tickets and for playing his keyboard so well.
Hi Lesley,
Sorry to be a tad cheeky here - I've just read your blog and enjoyed your honesty here. You seem to be 'up' on the arts scene here. My partner is based in Hong Kong and i'm an artist/singer at the Venetian Macao. I'm looking to work HK side eventually and would love an insight into the arts scene. Where to go, good venues etc. and possible contacts. Again, I apologise for being so forward but any help would be great.
Keep up the good work...I love to write, I actually rite short films and have never done the blog thing....who knows maybe in the fututre???
regards,
Hayley Sheldon
www.stranow.com/hayleysheldon
Posted by: Hayley Shedon | March 29, 2011 at 03:22 PM