Rocky Horror Comes To The Seneca
By David DeRocco dave@gobeweekly.com https://twitter.com/?lang=en
Hot patootie, the Rocky Horror Picture Show has found a new home! Every Halloween since 2002, an interactive performance of the popular cult classic has been held at the Log Cabin Theatre home of Oh Canada Day. This year’s production is being hosted on the bigger stage at the Seneca Queen Theatre Niagara Falls. That bodes well for fans of the annual staging according to Eric Hitchcock, General Manager of Canadiana Productions.
“Frankly, it’s outgrown us,” said Hitchcock, in reference to the smaller Oh Canada Eh stage and seating capacity. “We’re always sold out here, and always have a capacity problem. That’s a good problem to have in the theatre business. Moving over to the Seneca, we’re going to a live music venue. It’s going to be bigger and better and will add some new dynamics to the production.”
This will be the 17th year for the company’s annual production, which started off at Oh Canada Eh as a typical Rocky Horror Picture Night featuring a live stage performance. And while the Seneca has established its own tradition, screening the movie the past two years, this year’s live experience will deliver the production the way it was meant to be seen.
“It’s all live,” explained Hitchcock. “At the Seneca, there’s enough room for the band to be on stage. It’s going to be like a rock show. JP Baldwin is back as Frankenfurter, most of the other performers are local. We’re looking forward to a great run.”
Canadiana Productions Artistic Director Lee Siegel says their production of Rocky Horror takes the show back to its roots, with all the cheese and low-budget basement theatre vibe that helped drive it to cult status.
“What makes our version unique this year is that we'll be in a legit movie/concert hall,” he says. “The Seneca Queen has a nostalgic glory about it. We promise that Rocky Horror fans, young and old, will get the Rocky they know and love, but we'll have a few tricks up our sleeves for those who have seen it before, and to those Rocky virgins in the room it will be a night they'll remember forever.”
The production is being held as a fundraiser in partnership with Positive Living Niagara, who will be selling participation kits for $10 to ensure there’s plenty of opportunity for the traditional audience interaction. Siegel say fans are also encouraged to dress up in their best Rocky Horror costumes. “Rocky is a party, and a party is going to be had.”
The bigger and better Rocky Horror Picture Show production is part of the 25th anniversary celebration of Oh Canada Eh, the popular Lundy’s Lane dinner theatre operation that got its start in the old Maple Leaf Village facility. As part of the milestone, the parent company recently expanded into the Ottawa market, and has updated the content of its core show, which includes waiters and waitresses acting and singing in a salute to everything Canadian.
“We’ve added about 20 new songs from more Canadian artists,” said Hitchcock. “There’s now about 60 to 70 songs in the show. In the past it was really written for a seniors audience. We try to make it appeal to all ages now. We’ve added Carle Ray (Jepson) and Justin Bieber to go along with the Neil Young, Anne Murray and Paul Anka. We’ll be hitting the 5,000 show mark in the Falls around Canada Day next year. We haven’t got it perfect yet but we’ll keep doing it until we get it right.”
For more information, visit ohcanadaeh.com.
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