Rocky Horror Shadow Cast returns, and it's what the audience is lusting for

Oct. 21—This ain't your average production — as if anything associated with "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" ever could be.

This is a shadow cast, the most recent installment of the annual production from Cheyenne Little Theatre Players, held in the Historic Atlas Theatre. It's a common event nationwide, one that celebrates the 1975 cult classic musical — a creative work so ludicrous that, if the reader is unfamiliar with the film, they should do their best to experience the film with as little a frame of reference as possible.

The same could be said for the shadow cast performance being held on Oct. 28-29 at both 8 and 11 p.m.

A shadow cast is a production where performers dress and mimic the entirety of the movie as it's projected behind them on stage. There is no script to follow, as the performers are only roughly lip-synching along with the words.

Does this sound like a rip-off? Fork over the $15 and experience it for yourself — if you're 17 or older, that is.

"We're here to be a representation. It's as long as we're (getting) close enough, that sort of thing," director Jonathan Hedger said, "The shadow cast is there to just make more of the show for the audience. This is an audience participation show — it's an experience.

"We've affectionately referred to the cabaret seating in the front as 'the splash zone.'"

In some shadow cast performances, it's permitted for the audience to use squirt guns, toast and other props to interact with the performers. This will not be permitted at the Atlas Theatre due to its status as a historic landmark.

The "splash zone" is more of a heads-up to the audience that the performers will interact with them, and, at times, they will be asked to participate. One of the more accessible examples of this will be during a musical number like "Time Warp," an upbeat, danceable rock number occurring toward the beginning of the film.

The pressure's not all on the audience, though.

One of the most notable aspects of a live performance of "Rocky Horror" are the callouts — the creative and in-the-know phrases that audience members are expected to shout at certain points in the film.

It's fun for both the audience and the performers, but it's something those on stage have to prepare for. During rehearsal on Wednesday night, CLTP veteran Brad Goodman, who plays the role of the sparsely seen narrator in the film, was tasked with shouting callouts that, at times, drew laughs from the performers during their rehearsal of the final scenes of the film.

Actor Lauren "Herc" Hohorst, who portrays the role of Brad Majors in the production, is making sure to prepare for a barrage of callouts during the show.

The Rocky Horror Shadow Cast was the first CLTP performance she had attended upon her arrival in Cheyenne a year ago. As a self-proclaimed "theatre kid" and lover of "Rocky Horror," she finds it fitting that her first performance with CLTP is the shadow cast.

So, in her first go-round, the goal is to avoid freezing up.

"In old theater days, the audience was rowdy, drinking (alcohol) because the water was not healthy, and if you're not doing well, they're going to pummel you with vegetables," she said, laughing. "That interaction, where the actors are so immediately affected by the audience, that's what this makes me think of.

"Every performance needs a good audience, because then what's the point of performing?"

Without having to memorize lines, there's less stress on the cast to recall a whole script. But they're still mimicking every line of the character they're playing projected behind them. This is a feat that, for newcomers, takes significant time to tighten up.

Hedger's background is mostly in choreography, which is evident by the relatively elaborate beats throughout the rehearsal. Both he and Hohorst agreed that it's been a collaborative process, where each actor brings their interpretation of the role and contributes their own ideas to how the shadow cast should emulate the images on screen.

Even with this kind of collaboration, it's difficult to keep the pace that's set for them. If they fall behind what's happening on screen, it can lead to the whole performance being a step behind.

But most performers in the show have long participated in "Rocky Horror," either in the audience or in a past production, at this point having memorized their lines. No matter how ingrained the film is in her mind, Hohorst is still listening through the soundtrack any chance she gets.

"It's definitely been a big challenge for me, because I've done stuff like Shakespeare Abridged, where I had to learn Hamlet backward," Hohorst said. "I've done children's theater, where I'm carrying kids up and down with me. But this is a new challenge all on its own — having to choreograph with the screen behind you."

There will be a bar serving alcoholic drinks throughout the show. No outside food, drinks or props are permitted.

Tickets are on sale now at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35648/production/1140698.

Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.