First thing's first, I love Rocky Horror Picture Show. I love the music, I love the strange plot, and I love the characters. So, one could rightfully assume that I was over the moon when I heard that there would be a new version of the cult classic. However, after the bright, shiny beacon of happiness that filled my heart watching FOX's remake of the movie started to wear off, I was very disappointed,
As Julie Andrews says, "Let's start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start," I enjoyed the beginning, I thought the theater set was absolutely gorgeous and I enjoyed Ivy Levan as the usher. She was already setting the mood for the show with the very excited, but a nonchalant attitude that sort of drips through this show. The only problem is that this is a song that seemingly goes on FOREVER. Not to mention that this is a song that only sets up that this show is a parody of science fiction films, so it could have been cut down or just directed better with more energy so it didn't seem so slow.
We then are introduced to Ryan McCartan and Victoria Justice as Brad and Janet. I loved McCartan as Brad, I thought he gave the sweet and sometimes vapid charm that Brad has. However I was not as big as a fan of Justice as Janet, she sounded nice and I believed her as the character, but I didn't see where her decisions were made, I couldn't see her think, she was clearly just following the script and it didn't seem as if she took much into consideration besides what was the face value of the character. Vocally, both of these actors are fantastic, and I think with the right director I could see Justice do some great work on Broadway.
When it comes to this show there are a few characters that are just iconic, Riff Raff (played by Reeve Carney) and Magenta (Christina Millan) gave nice performances as the well-known servants of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. I didn't enjoy how their sexual moments were cut because it's always a good shock for the audience when Frank reveals that they are siblings. Columbia, played by Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford, stole the show for me, this woman was pregnant at the time of filming but there she is tapping away, sliding into a middle split, and sliding all around the stage. She threw it back for her fans with the accent she used as Marcy in Pasek and Paul's Dogfight, something that I freaked out over.
Laverne Cox as the infamous Dr. Frank-N-Furter was interesting. I love her as an actress and I fully support and admire her for what she's done for visibility in the Trans community, but I just didn't love her in this. It seemed that she was trying very hard to encapsulate what Tim Curry did as Frank, but that's impossible because Curry's Frank is truly one of a kind. Cox also just seemed to be playing a character, she didn't have those undercurrents and complexity that makes a character like Frank so interesting. Also, her singing voice was an odd fit, it sounded okay on some songs, and her range is fantastic, but after hearing those songs I would be okay not hearing them again.
The other characters didn't really stand out too much to me, Adam Lambert sounded fantastic on "Hot Patootie" but Eddie is such a small part that there just wasn't much for him to do. Dr. Scott was a sweet looking old man, but nothing special. However, Tim Curry as the narrator was one of my absolute favorite things about this remake, and I wish that they could have found a way to incorporate other characters from the original into the remake.
William Ivey Long's costumes were fantastic, but that is to be expected from a six-time Tony Award-winning costume designer. Every character had a very distinct look, but there were common threads, so to speak, that connected them and their looks. Columbia was in leather and tulle, with her jacket matching her boyfriend, Eddie's. Frank-N-Furter was in sequins galore, with a different costume for nearly every scene, which just showed what a diva she is. Rocky, however, was wearing gold basketball shorts, and I was very disappointed. We could have Brad in his little underwear, but we can't have Rocky in tight gold shorts?
The direction done by Kenny Ortega felt wrong. It had a lot of silent moments that usually would be okay, but there was almost no energy propelling the scenes so it just felt awkward. No characters felt like they had any motivations, which is something that is vital to Rocky Horror because all these people do is pursue their goals, and get sidetracked along the way. Also, for a show about sexual awakenings, a lot of the sexuality was cut down or just cut in general. Magenta and Riff Raff had nothing, Columbia only had those moments with Eddie, and the most Frank did with Rocky was work out with him. The way we see these relationships and how everyone feels about each other comes from how they act towards each other, and for a show where someone makes a man just for sex, this was very surprisingly toned down. This is perfectly depicted during "Toucha Toucha Touch Me" where a newly awoken Janet is trying to get Rocky to sleep with her, turns a very sexual song into jumping on the bed and making him flex his muscles. Not to mention the tone of the movie was a mess thanks to the lighting. What worked so well about the original movie as that, things were in shadows so there was that uneasy feeling that something could be lurking in the corners, but in this remake, it was all lit up and bright and happy, taking that dangerous atmosphere away.
If this movie as someone's introduction to Rocky Horror I would just say watch the original, it's done better and it was perfect. This remake is the prime example of "if it's not broken. don't fix it," I just wish someone told the creators when it was being made.
