'The Rocky Horror Show' by Pantochino Productions - A Review

MILFORD - Pantochino Productions has chosen to present “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show Live On Stage!,” which is the musical version of the cult classic. The book, music and lyrics were written by O’Brien.

Pantochino usually presents more family-friendly fare on this stage, but this production is decidedly adult. I wouldn’t recommend bringing young children to this one.

This is supposed to be a humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s. The musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple getting caught in a storm and stumbling upon the home of a mad transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter, unveiling his new creation, an artificially made, fully grown, physically perfect muscle man named Rocky.

I freely admit that I have never quite understood the draw of this show often presented around Halloween. I can certainly relate to the fun of dressing up as one of the characters in the show to attend and singing and dancing along to one of the songs, but I can’t get past the shouting at the actors and/or throwing things at them. (Please note that Pantochino does not allow any throwing of anything during the performance.)

While some of the lines added by an audience member might be hysterical, they remain simply distracting to me. I know that devoted fans will vehemently disagree and I am ok with that. I will review the show as just another musical.

Mary Mannix opens the show as the singing Usherette and also puts on the tiny hat to play the role of Columbia. Most recently, Mannix was seen as Brandy in the world premiere of “Just Desserts” at Branford's Legacy Theatre.

What a treat it was to see Waterbury Arts Magnet School graduate Jack Saleeby on this stage in the role of Brad. Saleeby is a New York City-based actor/playwright. His favorite performance credits include The International Tour of “The Wizard of Oz” (Scarecrow), “Twelfth Night” (Orsino) “Newsies” (Finch), “Peter Pan”(Curly), “Head Over Heels,” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” His original works have been produced throughout NYC, most notably “Wolfpack” at the Irondale Center in Brooklyn and “Bright and Brave: A New Musical at Dixon Place.”

Elise Sullivan (“Glitz!”) is adorable and brave in the role of Janet. She graduated from Fairfield University in May of 2019.

Don Poggio did his best to explain the plot as the Narrator, although he was heckled the most. At one point, the audience managed to crack him up and it was fun watching him try to stop laughing and get back on track. Poggio, who met his talented wife when he played Richard in “The Seven Year Itch,” also did the carpentry for the stage.

Resident composer and music director Justin Rugg could be heard singing wonderfully in the role of Riff Raff while wearing a purple wig. The always memorable Shelley Marsh Poggio (the title role in “Wicked Witch of the West, Kansas or Bust’) made the most of the role of Magenta. Fashion model Everton Ricketts shows off his muscles in a brief gold lame costume as Rocky in his Pantochino debut. Steve Autore plays both Eddie and Dr. Scott in a wheelchair in his Pantochino debut.

The Phantoms are portrayed by Sherri Alfonso, Maria Berte and the young Michael Cavone in his Pantochino debut.

And then there is Jimmy Johansmeyer as the iconic Frank N Furter, wearing a corset, high heels and black stockings, and lots of makeup. Of course he carries it off, adding some wonderfully funny physical comedy, as he always does. Johansmeyr most recently created the role of Zack in the new musical “Just Desserts” at the Legacy Theatre.

The set designed by Von del Mar is sparkly and is well-lit by lighting designed by Jeff Carr. Sound by Teddy Carrero worked well; the audience noise was what made some of the lines hard to decipher.

Musical direction to the recorded musical score by cast member Justin Rugg was admirable, although most of the numbers in this musical are less than memorable. “The Time Warp” had some audience members dancing in the aisles.

The costumes designed by Jimmy Johansmeyer were well-worth the trip to Milford for me, as always. These were creepier than his usual work, but fit the spooky theme perfectly. Don’t miss the cape that the costumer dons, nor Brad’s cumberbun. The wigs were multi-colored and big; my personal favorite was a blonde number worn by one of the phantoms, but the Frank N Furter wig was also pretty impressive.

Bert Bernardi both staged and directed the talented cast that looked great on the smallish Milford Arts Council stage. For his life work in this field, Bernardi was bestowed the Connecticut Critics Circle Tom Killen Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre in Connecticut.

It was great to sit inside the MAC once again, although for this show the cabaret seating has been switched to traditional row seating. For the most part, the audience was well-behaved, making this reviewer feel comfortable in their midsts. I also appreciated the usual paper program that included a QR code to view the “Meet the Cast” listing online. This is the perfect hybrid that I wish other venues would copy.

“The Rocky Horror Show” runs through Oct. 29 at the MAC located at the Milford train station.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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