September 21, 2010
Rocky Horror Show. Download image.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Theatre will present "The Rocky Horror Show" at 7:30 p.m. each night Oct. 6-9 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010, in UAB's Alys Stephens Center Sirote Theatre, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $15 and $18; $7 for students and $12 for UAB employees and senior citizens. Call 205-975-2787 for tickets. Visit the UAB Department of Theatre at http://theatre.hum.uab.edu/.
"The Rocky Horror Show" is the first main stage play of Theatre UAB's 40th anniversary season. Follow squeaky-clean sweethearts Brad and Janet on the "rockiest" ride of their lives. The play features book, music and lyrics by Richard O'Brien. Bursting at the seams with raunchy exuberance and stiletto-sharp wit, O'Brien's cult classic is a campy collection of outlandish characters, risqué rock 'n' roll and sybaritic sci-fi. The performance contains adult language and themes. Directing and choreographing "Rocky Horror" is guest Bill Castellino, who has won eight Drama Logue Awards, four L.A. Weekly Awards, the Silver Palm Award, Chicago's Jefferson Award, the Carbonelle Award and has been honored with numerous nominations. The New York-based Castellino also has directed more than 30 world premiere musicals.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is etched in our collective memory, Castellino says. "The movie blends 1950s science fiction, gothic horror and contemporary gender-bending into a hilarious and clever classic, but what most people do not realize is that the stage version came long before the film.
"Seeing this great story unfold live before your eyes is an entirely new experience. While the story and songs are the same, the whole look of the production and its characters are different," Castellino says. "The choreography has been updated, the lab and castle have a different vibe, and the fun is cranked up with a live band, incredible costumes and bizarre special effects. The stage production does everything the film does and more, right in front of you.
"If you loved the movie, you will go wild seeing the live production."
The sets, costumes, props and special effects also are an exciting component to the UAB production. The talented faculty, crew and students are busy designing clever ways to make a rocket blast off, for a monster to be "born" and a biker to be decimated with a chainsaw. Costumes also will have a special look, inspired by gender-bending pop icons David Bowie and Adam Ant as well as Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and Lady Gaga. The scenery and props are "bio-mechanical," Castellino says, with everything in the show looking as if it were both built and grown, a great twist on the sci-fi genre.
"Creating our own way of making these things happen is the challenge and fun of our production," Castellino says. "We don't have the big budget of a movie or a Broadway production. We have our imaginations, our own sense of humor, and our own way to tell the story. This means the UAB production will look like no other production of 'Rocky' anyone has ever seen before."
The nearly all-Alabama cast includes Jared Funderburg of Pell City as the Narrator, Leah Huebner of Huntsville as Janet, Cody Moore of Pisgah as Brad, Daniel Martin of Trinity as Frank 'N' Furter, Trevor Gourley of New York, N.Y., as Eddie/Dr. Scott, Trey York of Florence as Rocky, Noah Holcomb of Corner as Riff Raff, Leisa Thomas of Gardendale as Magenta/Usherette and Alana Jordan of Birmingham as Columbia. The Ensemble is Gourley, Atom Bennet of Decatur, Catie Cole of Demopolis, Stephanie Harris of Gardendale, Hannah Hughes of Vestavia Hills, Jereme Lewis of Enterprise, Ellis Oswalt of Oxford and Sarah Pullen of Huntsville.
About the UAB Department of Theatre
The UAB Department of Theatre has won the highest honors awarded to university theaters, including best in region from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). In 2008, UAB's production of "In the Blood" was one of three shows chosen by KCACTF from 300 in consideration nationwide. Faculty members in the department continue to work professionally in addition to teaching. UAB Theatre performances are presented at the Alys Stephens Center, UAB's own world-class performing arts center. This year the department celebrates its 40th anniversary. It is part of the UAB College of Arts and Sciences, home to academic disciplines that include the arts, humanities and sciences.