Published : Oct. 21, 2014 - 20:44
Seoul Players will be running its annual shadow cast production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” for two nights this Halloween.
The production is a screening of the movie musical, with a live cast duplicating the movie performance onstage.
The performances are something of a cult tradition in the West, with audience members calling out key lines and many dressing up as their favorite characters from the movie.
“We get a fair amount of people dressing up,” said stage manager Angi Belsy. “Some people are going to other Halloween parties so they come dressed up in regular Halloween costumes, but quite a few will dress up as Rocky Horror characters.”
Belsy said there would be handouts to explain the call-outs and a host would be on hand to warm up the crowd and lead the participation.
A cast member performs in Seoul Players’ 2013 shadow cast production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” (Seoul Players)
She said the “Rocky Horror” nights were fun to do because they were a bit more easygoing than the company’s full productions.
“It’s very different from the other shows that we do,” said Belsy “I guess it’s because it is just a shadow cast and there are no actual lines to learn, and there’s blocking to learn but a lot of it is just mimicking what’s happening on the film, so rehearsals are more relaxed.”
Last year’s performances, at the same venue, were sold out, Belsy said. And since Halloween is on a Friday, they decided to run two shows that day.
The productions were also a way of involving new people or those who would not normally attend a theater production.
“This year most of our cast have never done anything with Seoul Players before so it’s really nice to have a lot of new people involved with the show,” said Belsy.
“This is something that’s really well-known and a lot of people come to this who don’t come to our other shows.
“A lot of people do it back home and when they come to Korea they find out that it’s going on and they want to participate. So it’s really nice. It gets in a lot of new people for us and it gets our name out there.”
Shows will be held at the Bull and Barrel in Itaewon on Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. and midnight and on Nov. 1 at 10 p.m. Tickets are 10,000 won at the door.
By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)