THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews — Page 13

I think we have a firm disagreement here. While Michaela Jae made some very odd choices with her singing (direction?), she at least had a singing voice and could hit those higher notes when necessary. Valentina doesn’t have that from my perspective. She can talk-sing in a slightly alto register, but her being the lead off for the Floor Show is always painful (especially since, in using the accessible seats, I am RIGHT in front of her). I honestly wish Larkin or Star (Caleb) got a promotion instead.

On the other hand, some of those call outs last night were DEFINITELY obnoxious, but watching Dratch play off some of them was absolutely priceless. Part of me is thinking she is going to be hard to replace when she decides to bow out. (Or, she could just stay the rest of the run since it’s a solid comic relief princess track). Andrew also played one off really well which caught me off guard.

I am also REALLY going to miss Luke’s ad-lib when Brad/Janet get called out and he says, “It’s the plumbing”

Looks like Jane Cardona and the band paid a visit to Power Station recently, which is always good news…

rosscoe(au) said: "Did I miss something or has no one seen Jake yet?"

He doesn’t start until September 11.

Has anyone seen Paul and/or the new cast yet?

I’m going next week and I’m curious

I saw it. I think some of the cast is still settling into their roles. Paul is giving a very good performance, but they are suffering from comparisons to Luke Evans -- they don't have the magnetism that Luke had. Kevin McHale and Lorna Courtney start out less uptight than you'd expect for Brad and Janet, so they don't have as far to go to transform in Act II. Lorna's vocals are terrific. Kevin's serve the role fine, although his Once in a While didn't have much oomph. Sherie Rene Scott continues to be an utter star, giving the best Science Fiction Double Feature. Jimin Moon is playing a more world-aware Rocky. George Salazar didn't make too much of an impression. Valentina was the weak point in the cast.

I went tonight and saw the current lineup. It’s definitely a bit wobbly at the moment as the cast adjusts to their roles and the playing field evens out.

Kevin & Lorna are ideally matched for this material. While both could stand to be a bit more inhibited in the beginning, both of them have carved their own space out - especially Lorna, who really just lets it rip into every number she can (when necessary) and truly commands the stage when she goes full sexpot. This was definitely one of those replacement cast moves where Pinkleton knows what he is doing,

Paul Soileau as Frank is definitely a take that is off the beaten path. He does not attempt any sort of British accent and instead leans his Frank into sweet-as-molasses, aristocratic Cajun drawl, which can take a little time to get used to and makes his presence a little less looming-large. (There were many moments where I felt like he would’ve punctuated a sentence with “I do declare”). It’s a little Truman Capote, a little Blanche Devereaux, and a little Jinkx Monsoon. He is also distinctly a baritone, so I was a bit disappointed that the higher notes in Sweet Transvestite and I’m Going Home were not there, but I ultimately found him to be very effective. He’s very much the Hannah Solow of Rocky Horror - you’ll get a very distinct take and not leave wanting more for sure.

Jimin Moon as Rocky - I think he needs a little more time to find his character. He sounds lovely and fills out the singlet adequately enough (although goodness me, BRING BACK THE BEEFY ROCKYS). He’s a bit too aware of what’s going on for a science experiment that’s only 7 hours old, but seemed almost indifferent and like he went back into clueless himbo mode as a means to backpedal from that. That manic panic Rocky should have isn’t there quite yet, He and Lorna blew “Touch-a…” out of the water for sure.

George Salazar…is not fully developed just yet. I’ll give him credit that he was vocally up to task, but he plays the role absolutely straight and is lacking the madcap lunacy that Harvey seized on to make up for less than stellar vocals. The accent was also off the mark, sometimes sounding like an mafia don than an German expatriate.

Of course, Rachel, Sherie, and Amber are all still very excellent. Rachel even batted off a callback about SNL when the question “What further indignities would Brad and Janet be subjected to?” Valentina is still vocally rough, although her stage presence has gotten a lot better.

As of right now, if you can go for a discount, go for it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way. It feels like a previews period where more than enough people need time to really cook before there is decent cast synergy again.