A Rocky road through October - 'Rocky Horror' haunts Oasis, the Curran, and Feinstein's

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Tuesday October 1, 2024
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Joe Greene (Riff-Raff), Trixxie Carr (Magenta) and Carissa Hatchel/Snaxx (Columbia) in Ray of Light Theatre & Oasis' 2023 production of 'The Rocky Horror Show.' (photo: Rachel Z Photography)
Joe Greene (Riff-Raff), Trixxie Carr (Magenta) and Carissa Hatchel/Snaxx (Columbia) in Ray of Light Theatre & Oasis' 2023 production of 'The Rocky Horror Show.' (photo: Rachel Z Photography)

Hey, boo! It's spooky season. Which means here in San Francisco, the Ray of Light Theatre and Oasis Arts production of "The Rocky Horror Show," featuring D'Arcy Drollinger as Frank N. Furter, is back for another year of glammy, gory glory on Thursday through Saturday nights, beginning Oct. 10.

Two additional "Rocky Horror" tributes also arrive at the Curran Theatre and Feinstein's at the Nikko next week.

Last fall, the Bay Area Reporter applauded Ray of Light and Oasis' homegrown reinvention for shocking the sometimes somnambulant half-century-old musical back to life:

"This is a 'Rocky Horror Show' for longtime fanatics, folks who thought themselves long over it, and curious virgins alike. Whether you've previously seen 'Rocky' on stage or on screen, this experience feels like the one it always should have been."

Julien Gussman (lower left) with cast members in the 2023 Ray of Light Theatre and Oasis Arts production of 'The Rocky Horror Show' (photo: Rachel Z Photography)  

Double features
This year, in the spirit of the film and play's anthemic "Science Fiction/Double Feature," we asked cast and crew members to recommend pairings of sci-fi, horror, and musical movies for seasonal at-home viewing on the rare night that cultish devotion doesn't have you going to see their show another time.

Julien Gussman, who plays one of the Phantoms, aka Chorus Ghouls, suggests a double bill featuring "iconic visuals and bloodthirsty life forms": "Alien" and "Little Shop of Horrors."

Gussman notes that the two movies also share "themes of entrapment, both emotionally and physically."

Albert Hodge, who plays Dr. Scott and Eddie, recommends a mind warping sci-fi program of "The Matrix" paired with "Inception."

"Both movies," he observes, "force the viewer to consider and question the nature of reality. They also feature some of the most innovative action sequences in cinema."
Stage manager Taylor Oliva opts for pairing science fiction and horror, then adding a mad dash of humor with a screening of Mel Brooks' "Spaceballs" and "Young Frankenstein."

"You'll enjoy space spoofs, mad scientists, campy hilarity, dancing monsters, over the top innuendo, and a level of slapstick that only Brooks can deliver," she noted, ticking off all the Rocky Horror boxes in a stroke of mad cinephile genius.

Unsurprisingly, two drag queens from the production's peanut gallery couldn't resist cracking wise with their selections.

Snaxx, who plays Columbia, suggests a double bill that opens cute, then descends into the abyss. First up is "Sex and the City," which they feel is "a great encapsulation of the characters and all of their unique, sometimes cringey but beloved ways."

Patricia Quinn in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (photo: 20th Century Fox)  

Then comes "Sex and the City 2," which Snaxx sums up as "A horror film in so many ways. How could a sequel get it all so wrong? It's an indicator that things are not going to go well when the movie opens with Liza Minelli performing 'All The Single Ladies.' The messaging is too backwards to even go into detail about: Just start drinking during the first movie so you can hopefully fall asleep early on in the second."

And Trixie Carr, the production's magnificent Magenta, practically pierces cheek with tongue in recommending a bill of "The Last Starfighter" and "Bladerunner," which she describes as "two lighthearted movies about friendship, romance, and hope, that are sure to bring the whole family together. The family being me, Frank, Riff, and Columbia...plenty of chances to throw popcorn, and 'Bladerunner' is always so much fun to sing along to!"

(Frankly, the notion of 'Star Fighter''s then-Tiger Beat-twink Lance Guest tussling with Harrison Ford has its appeal).


If you're looking for a genuinely goosebumpy evening of home viewing, may we also suggest a set-in-San Francisco duo of "Copycat," an underrated 1995 serial killer thriller with Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, and a diabolic Harry Connick, Jr. (Don't let the hysterically dated hairdos break the mood); and the consummate creepfest, 1978's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," with great performances by the late Donald Sutherland and the "Wicked" movie's Wizard, Jeff Goldblum.

'The Rocky Horror Show,' $50.15-$106.53. Oasis, 298 11th St. Oct. 10-Nov. 2. www.sfoasis.com

Rocky II and Rocky III
If you can't get enough "Rocky Horror" redux, the season brings two additional spins on the undying classic to city stages.

A screening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" plays the Curran Theatre, with the original play and movie's Magenta, Patricia Quinn, fielding questions and suffering through selfies afterwards. (See David-Elijah Nahmod's interview with Quinn in this week's issue.)

Reeve Carney in a 2023 Los Angeles concert (photo: Zak Cassar)  

And, more intriguingly, Reeve Carney, who played Riff-Raff in Fox Television's "The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again," starred in the ill-fated Julie Taymor/U2 Broadway musicalization of "Spiderman," and, more memorably, originated the role of Orpheus in "Hadestown," will be performing his one-man cabaret take on "Rocky Horror" at Feinstein's at the Nikko.

'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' with Patricia Quinn, $57-$328, $100 VIP Meet and Greet, Curran Theatre, 445 Geary St. Oct. 9. www.broadwaysf.com

'Reeve Carney: Rocky Horror Picture Show,' $45. Feinsteins at the Nikko,
222 Mason St. Oct. 11-12. www.feinsteinssf.com


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