When rehearsals for The Rocky Horror Show wrap up around 10:30 at night, Maeve Lowney still has one more role waiting for her the next morning: Marshfield High School senior.
Lowney, who plays Janet in The Company Theatre’s upcoming production of the cult-classic musical, is balancing late-night rehearsals with school and auditions for college theater programs as she prepares to pursue a BFA.
And while audiences may arrive expecting the familiar music, characters and over-the-top energy of Rocky Horror, Lowney says one of the most memorable parts of this production may be something else entirely.
“You come to Rocky Horror expecting the music, the characters and all of that crazy energy, but I don’t think you necessarily expect to be wowed by the dancing,” Lowney said. “The choreography in this production is really special, and the Phantoms and Creatures of the Night are incredible. They bring so much energy to the show.”
That ensemble is helping bring one of musical theater’s most unconventional shows to life in Norwell from Oct. 2 through Oct. 18. First staged in 1973, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show follows newly engaged Brad and Janet after a flat tire leads them to the home of Dr. Frank-N-Furter and into a bizarre world far removed from the one they know.
The musical later became the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, starring Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter. The movie developed an enduring cult following, with generations of fans embracing its music, camp and famously participatory screenings. The stage version brings the story back to where it began: in front of a live audience.
“Rocky Horror is one of those rare shows where the audience is almost as much a part of the experience as the performers onstage,” said Company Theatre co-founder and Artistic Director Zoe Bradford. “People come in knowing the music and ready to have a great time, and that energy becomes part of the performance.”
Bradford said that beneath the show’s intentionally outrageous exterior is part of what has helped it connect with audiences for decades.
“Underneath all of the camp, comedy and outrageousness, there’s also this wonderful celebration of being completely and unapologetically yourself,” Bradford said. “Our cast has embraced that spirit while bringing incredible talent, humor and energy to the production.”
For Lowney, the production comes at a pivotal moment in her own life.
She grew up in a musical family, surrounded by relatives who played instruments and encouraged her interest in performing. Now, as she begins her senior year, she is considering where theater might take her next.
“I’m auditioning for BFA programs right now, so I’m at this really exciting point where I’m figuring out what comes next and hoping to continue doing this at the college level,” Lowney said. “Getting to work on a show like Rocky Horror while I’m going through that process has made me even more excited about pursuing theater and seeing where it can take me.”
There is also a fun connection between the show Lowney is performing now and the young theater fan she once was: Tim Curry was her first celebrity crush.
Now, she is playing Janet in the musical that introduced Curry’s Frank-N-Furter to audiences more than 50 years ago, while simultaneously auditioning for the college programs she hopes will begin the next chapter of her own life in theater.
For audiences, director/choreographer Brad Reinking said the production is designed to work whether they can already do the “Time Warp” from memory or are walking into Frank-N-Furter’s world for the first time.
“I witnessed the thrills and chills and magic of Rocky Horror when I was a teenager. It’s so much more than fishnets, corsets and call outs. Whether you’ve loved Rocky Horror for decades or you’re experiencing it for the first time, we want you to walk in ready to let loose and have fun,” Reinking said.
The Rocky Horror Show runs Oct. 2-18 at The Company Theatre in Norwell. The production is intended for mature audiences.
Tickets and additional information are available through The Company Theatre.