When Richard O'Brien wrote "The Rocky Horror Show" in 1972, it is doubtful whether he thought that the campy, parodic and disturbed musical that he wrote one winter as an unemployed actor would gain its popularity, take on a life of its own and become a ritualistic, almost tribal event in many countries around the world.
It is even more doubtful if O'Brien thought that the intergalactic troll that he wrote would be as relevant as it is five decades later, and as for the fact that it will be staged in 2022 in a theater in Israel - well, it is very likely that he did not think about that at all.
But that's what happened last night (Monday) at the Culture Hall in Tel Aviv, when the Ambassador Theater production of the old horror show (in the original West End production) landed here, for the first of five performances.
In a recent interview with Israel Hayom, the director of the play, Christopher Lascombe, said that when he received "Rocky" sometime in 2006, his first goal was to return the order of the play, and especially the control of it to the hands of the cast.
As everyone who reads these lines probably knows, the screenings of the film and the shows themselves have a tendency to become interactive - perhaps too much so, when the regulars of the show take the reins and in a sense interfere so much in what is happening on stage to the point of completely hijacking the show.
16 years ago, Lascomb said, the hospitalized already held the keys to the door of the insane asylum and controlled it completely.
From "The Rocky Horror Show" // Photo: Jeff Brod
But not so in the London production that stars here this week - as could already be understood from the announcement on the screens in the hall, which warned against throwing rice at the stage (one of the regular elements of audience participation in active screenings).
Indeed, as Rocky veterans will testify, the current production does feel in control of the cast and is not entirely prone to disaster.
On the other hand, cultural hall or not, it is still about Rocky's horror show - a cultural event that seems to invite the release of reins and the release of social or sexual inhibitions.
In other words - the dress code dictated yesterday did not tend to tie and completely allowed corsets and fishnet stockings.
The code of conduct was far from that of any other show at the hall, and it is truly difficult to think of more colorful, happy and disturbed productions that have visited the old Tel Aviv cultural institution.
The story of the horror show remains constant: Brad and Janet are an innocent couple of lovers, who, due to a breakdown in their car, find themselves at night in an ancient and dark castle controlled by a host of characters of varying degrees of weirdness and queerness.
All of them are topped by a transsexual scientist (or pansexual - this is a character who loves people and sex regardless of race, religion or gender) named Frank N'Porter - a super charismatic and captivating man, a druggist combination between Dracula and Frankenstein who is portrayed here in an exemplary manner by Stephen Webb.
In fact, Webb is so successful here that he could carry the show in the finale even if he was surrounded by a bunch of scarecrows with no acting ability.
From the show.
An extraordinary cultural event, photo: David Freeman
But to be honest, he is surrounded by such a talented and total cast that it would be an injustice to give only him the credit for the success of this production.
As in the original story, Frank creates Rocky in his lab - a man in his lab who is meant to serve his needs (played by Ben Wastehead), but loses control of him quite quickly, just as he will later lose control of the castle doors and finally meet his bitter end - mainly due to his tyrannical conduct.
Along the way he will introduce the innocent Brad and Janet to a new world of sexual pleasures and pleasures, sabotage their relationship and damage their innocence forever.
Of course, in 2022 as in 2022, even the most non-politically correct play will receive the adjustments it needs to meet current moral standards.
And so, the character of Brad, half of the duo Brad and Janet, was played (excellently) by Ora Aduba - a black actor.
It doesn't really matter and Adobe really does a nice job here, but it's interesting to see how even the madman in the plays made a V mark on the ethnic diversity section (but still manages to get a part in the throat of scenes that some would define today as rape or sexual assault).
Hayley Flaherty, who plays Janet, plays the role of the naive woman who discovers herself and sheds sexual inhibitions as the play progresses, and some would argue that she also bears a slight resemblance to Susan Sarandon, the actress who played the character in the 1975 film.
And he will also be right.
From the show.
Song of praise for the acceptance of Menaderi, photo: David Freeman
A change that was slightly less well received by the local audience was actually the participation of the designer Yuval Caspin as the play's narrator, who is supposed to receive bouts of anger from the audience - but this is because the narrator breaks the chaos with his didactic voice and grayness.
But Caspin is a familiar, cheerful, colorful and iridescent figure in his own right, so some have argued that he is actually not serving his role.
Beyond that, except for a few sections Caspin read his roles in Hebrew - something that didn't feel logical or too natural among all the British English.
As for the relevance of "Rocky" mentioned here earlier: elements of the ancient story of Adam and Eve (Frank as a snake who offers the innocent pair a taste of the tree of knowledge) fit perfectly into an ever-relevant parable about charisma, narcissism and exploitation, the dangerous way in which people are drawn to them and - as is the case in this age - The punishment for the sin of arrogance.
In fact, Frank and his sad end is a topical figure today more than ever.
Add to that the fact that this is a musical that is a song of praise for queerness and calls for the acceptance of a wide sexual and gender range in a year when the trans struggle is grabbing headlines more than ever, and it seems that "Rocky" is more ahead of its time.
It doesn't really belong to any time, but fits in perfectly with the current era.
Maybe more than ever.
As for the play itself - it's hard to think of a more enjoyable, fun and different summer experience than the one offered by this excellent production.
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