Speakeasy Doing The Time Warp Again With Rocky Horror
Leslie Munson, Joey Boos
This fall, in its musical smash Million Dollar Quartet, the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse is home to the songs of such rock ‘n’ roll icons as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. But if you’re looking for tunes performed by a completely different set of rock icons – those with names like Frank N. Furter, Dr. Scott, and Riff Raff – you can look right next door, where the Circa ’21 Speakeasy is hosting the musical-comedy cult classic THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW October 8 through 29th.
Filled with outrageous humor, dynamic musical numbers, unconventional romance, ghoulish delights, and plenty of audience participation, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW comes to The Speakeasy in an all-new production co-directed by longtime Circa ’21 veterans and spouses Bret and Erin Churchill. It’s sure to be a wickedly entertaining Halloween-themed treat that will make you want to do the “Time Warp” again – and again and again!
Seven performances of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW are currently scheduled, with presentations at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on October 8, 15, and 28, and an 11 p.m. performance set for October 29. Doors for the 7 p.m. shows open at 6 p.m.; doors for the 11 p.m. shows open at 10 p.m.. Due to the musical’s adult language and mature subject matter, the 7 p.m. shows are for ages 18 and up, while patrons must be 21 or older to attend the 11 p.m. performances.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on performance days, and are available through the Circa ’21 ticket office. For reservations, contact the theatre at 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island or by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 or online at www.thecirca21speakeasy.com.
Becca Meumann-Johnson, Nicholas Munson, Sara Tubbs
A delightfully raunchy tribute to B-grade sci-fi movies of the ’50s, the Tony-nominated THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW tells of young couple Brad and Janet, and how their worlds are turned upside down when a flat tire causes them to spend the night in a creepy old castle. Add a mad scientist, a hunchback, an unlucky delivery boy, a hunky Frankenstein, a bunch of aliens, and more, and you have one of the most audacious and enjoyable musical comedies of all time, boasting such classic numbers as “Sweet Transvestite,” “Hot Patootie,” and the legendary “Time Warp.”
Directors Bret and Erin Churchill, who first met as castmates in Circa ’21’s 2006 production of Grease, have combined credits at the theatre ranging from Cats to Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Both are also veterans of previous productions of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Rock Island’s former District Theatre – Bret as a performer, Erin as the choreographer. The Speakeasy’s new production marks the first time the spouses will be helming a stage presentation together.
A veteran of Circa ’21’s Grease and such Quad City Music Guild productions as Hello, Dolly! and Curtains, Curtis Fischer-Oelschlaeger serves as THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW’s musical director. He and the Churchills, meanwhile, have assembled a sensational, 10-person cast for their Speakeasy presentation: Dion Stover as Frank N. Furter, Joey Boos as Brad, Leslie Munson as Janet, Nick Munson as Riff Raff, Troy Stark as Rocky, Vince Solis as Eddie, Becca Meumann-Johnson as Magenta, Sara Tubbs as Columbia, Don Abbott as Dr. Scott, and Doug Kutzli as the Narrator.
Tickets are sure to go quickly for this wild and wonderful stage spectacle, so contact Circa ’21 at (309) 786-7733 extension 2 for reservations, and put some thrill in your fall with the unforgettable exuberance of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW!
