Tradition in fishnets

Lindsay Loytchenko

November 2011

There are several notable traditions for a Montreal Halloween: the ghost walk, the zombie pub crawl, La Grande Masquerade.

And then there’s Rocky.

Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show was created as a musical stage production in 1973, but it was the 1975 film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, that gained international notoriety. Montreal offers both to Rocky fans every Halloween.

This year’s stage production, directed by Philippe Gobeille, took place at the Rialto Theatre and starred Tadzeo Homer-Chbib as Brad, Stacey Chamberlain as Janet and Barry O’Connell as the cross-dressing Dr. Frank-N-Furter. The production featured a live band.

Photo: Andrea Hausmann

The stage itself was bare, with little more than an archway with columns, which seemed odd considering the story takes place in several settings. But clever choreography had backup dancers transform themselves into what was needed to properly fill out a scene.

For Rocky fans, this stage show is a must next Halloween. If you’ve only seen the film, expect some changes, but the gist of it remains the same, there are some elements that are different. Dancers talked to the audience before and after the show and during the intermission.

The full house was encouraged to do the Time Warp, which kicked off a big costume party and contest. This year’s winner was a man dressed as the Marquis de Sade.

And through it all, Dr. Frank-N-Furter remained a trooper, as he did not shed heels or bustier for a single moment, even while hosting the contest.