Let's do the Time Warp: 'Rocky Horror' coming to New Castle Playhouse

NEW CASTLE ‒ "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at the New Castle Playhouse is the perfect play for this ghost and goblin season.

Opening Friday, the cult classic will not only entertain, but director Justin Bryan said it will give you something to think about.

As the story goes, one fateful night, Brad, played by Jeff Carey, and his fiancé, Janet, played by Holly Marshall, set out to visit an old professor. It was a dark and stormy night when they got a flat tire. There was nowhere to go for help but to a gloomy-looking castle that is the residence of Dr. Frank ‘N Furter, a manic genius with an insatiable libido. When Brad and Janet become swept up in the scientist's latest experiment they will question everything they know about themselves, each other, love and lust. That's spooky enough for any Halloween show.

The over-the-top Dr. Frank 'N Furter is played by David Lynch, who describes his character as an alien mad scientist who also happens to be a cross-dresser.

"He is larger than life. He is hyper-male and hyper-female at the same time. He has a huge stage presence," he said. "It’s a challenge and I'm having a blast, and I hope that translates to the audience having a blast, too."

A 2005 graduate of Neshannock High School, Lynch appeared in the school's musicals under the direction of Michael Cavalier. At Westminster College, he appeared in shows while studying for a degree in English.

Lynch last appeared the New Castle Playhouse in 2013 in "A Christmas Carol" with his brother Derek. Currently, he and Derek operate a theater company that puts on shows in Pittsburgh.

Director Bryan said the play is a satire on the B-movies that were popular in the 1960s and '70s.

"I chose the show for a number of reasons. It is one of my favorites and it had never been done at the New Castle Playhouse, and most importantly it makes people think. It challenges society's conventions and it proves that you can't tell a book by its cover," he said.

In 1973, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" stage play was written with music, book, and lyrics by Richard O'Brien, and in 1975 20th Century Fox produced the musical comedy horror film that became a cult classic. The film, still in limited release, with a large international cult following, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

Bryan invites you to come and see for yourself.

What: "Rocky Horror Picture Show"

Where: New Castle Playhouse, 202 E. Long Ave., New Castle

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Oct. 27-29 and 2 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 30

Admission: Adults $16, seniors and full-time students $13, children 12 and under $11. For reservations, call (724) 654-3437 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Information: 724-654-3437; www.newcastleplayhouse.org online; email office@newcastleplayhouse.org

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: 'Rocky Horror" Halloween treat from New Castle Playhouse