"Shocked and amazed": Central Square Theater puts on "trans-centric" Rocky Horror Show
CAMBRIDGE - While many people have seen the film, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", seeing it on stage is something completely different.
Lee Mikeska Gardner, the co-director of the new production at Central Square Theater in Cambridge tells us, "It started out as a story about queer, non binary, and trans people. And we brought it back to that."
Actor Jack Chylinski, plays Rocky and says, "This is probably the most trans-centric Rocky Horror to ever to be produced in such a large way, which is really exciting for the trans community, the queer community.
A majority of the cast and crew are transgender, non-binary, or queer and Jack hopes "this show can provide more of a context for just trans people in general."
They say, "I think a lot of people misunderstand trans people because they simply don't have access to knowing them."
Co-director Jo Michael Rezes tells us the audiences have been incredible.
"We have some folks seeing things on stage for the first time in their lives and shocked and amazed and a little bit giddy with that excitement, but then you also have some folks who are leaving the space having seen themselves representative for the first time on stage," Rezes said.
It wouldn't be Rocky Horror without audience participation. There are noisemakers, glow sticks, and the opportunity for the audience to respond to the performers.
"It kind of highlights what's so special about theater is that live experience and that group creation that king of we all get to be a part of," Jack explains.
After each show, the audience is invited to perform the Time Warp with the cast.
You can see The Rocky Horror Show at Central Square Theater through November 26th.
