Noah Smith, who plays Brad Majors, and Chynna Cannon, who plays Janet Weiss, rehearse Wednesday at the Medicine Hat Musical Theatre Playhouse. The sold-out Rocky Horror Show runs Oct. 17, 18, 23-25 and Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.--NEWS PHOTO ANNA SMITH
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
After 12 years, the Rocky Horror Show returns to the Medicine Hat Musical Theatre playhouse.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the movie version of the story, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, making it the perfect opportunity to bring this cult classic back to the Hat, said director Dave Cannon.
“I’ve loved Rocky Horror since being a teenager. I was in Rocky twice before, I played Riff Raff both times,” said Cannon. “I figured, with the anniversary and how long it’s been since we did it, it was time to bring it back.”
The city certainly seems to agree, with tickets for the initial run selling out in only four and a half hours. Extra shows were added in response, which promptly sold out as well. As always, the volunteers who make up the cast, crew and staff at MHMT were blown away by the support.
With only a week to opening night, rehearsals are going well with only minor details needing to be smoothed over. Stacey Thompson, who is taking on the role of Magenta, feels ready to put on a show to remember.
Thompson is likewise returning from an extended break; her last performance with MHMT was also with the Rocky Horror Show, when she played Janet. This, she feels, has given her a unique look at the show as she explores a familiar story from the perspective of a new character.
“Magenta is very confident in herself and her ways, if you will. And I think that she definitely helps bring Janet and Brad out of their comfort zone, though there is a twist I won’t spoil,” said Thompson. “It’s definitely been a lot of character work for me, which was intimidating at first, but I’m grateful I got the opportunity to play this character and bring like my version of her to life.”
She’s thrilled to be welcomed back so warmly by the MHMT family and to be back among people with so much passion for the craft, which she says makes all the difference.
The story follows young couple Brad and Janet as their car breaks down and they are forced to seek shelter in a nearby castle.
“What they find is not exactly what you would expect,” said Cannon. “There’s some aliens, there’s some madness and other things that happen in the castle, and they find themselves as well.”
The play is certainly catered toward adults and features adult content, but Cannon adds that anyone aware of Rocky Horror already knows what to expect.
There are no more tickets available for the show at this time, and given how quickly MHMT performances sell out, Cannon recommends anyone lamenting losing out to join the MHMT mailing list to get advance notice of when tickets go on sale for upcoming productions within the season.
