Time Warp – 'Rocky Horror Show' kicks off Winni Playhouse's professional season

Neil Pankhurst checking out some lighting as the stage begins preparations for the upcoming production "Rocky Horror Show" to start the Summer Professional Theater events at Winnipesaukee Playhouse.  (Karen Bobotas/for the Laconia Daily Sun)

By ADAM DRAPCHO, LACONIA DAILY SUN

MEREDITH — The stories told in films from a previous era might be fondly remembered by people of a certain age, or could be completely new to others. In either case, Neil and Lesley Pankhurst, at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, think that it will make for an interesting evening of theater. This year's run of shows at the Playhouse fits within the themes of "from the big and little screen to the stage," as they all have been produced for the television or the cinema. The summer season is kicking off with a cult favorite, "The Rocky Horror Show," which will be staged June 14 through 24, including a midnight show on June 17.

Neil Pankhurst, the theater's artistic director, and Timothy L'Ecuyer, who is directing "Rocky Horror," said that despite the cultish trappings that come along with the 1973-era stage show, the rock and roll musical has a deceiving amount of depth, and, though it is more than 40 years old, it asks questions that are still heard today. The original script was written by Richard O'Brien, who was inspired by science fiction and campy horror films and television shows of the 1940s through '60s. "Rocky Horror" is as much a parody of those films as it is a mockery of normative sexuality and gender roles. O'Brien was also a fan of rock music, and the musical score, especially "Time Warp," is even more widely known than the play itself.

"Rocky Horror" will be the fifth play L'Ecuyer has directed for the Winnipesaukee Playhouse. His most recent was "A Midsummer Night's Dream" last year. L'Ecuyer has experience with "Rocky," as he was assistant director for a production at Keene State University years ago.

The 44 year-old script shows its age in parts, but remains current in other moments, said L'Ecuyer. The plot follows a young engaged couple who become stranded and happen upon the home of "Dr. Frank 'N Furter," where their conventional understanding of romantic relationships is torn asunder.

L'Ecuyer said, "We're living in a time when identity and the implications of identity are hotly discussed topics, especially in regard to gender and sexual identity." The play, he said, was a product of a sexually liberated time, commenting on the relative conservatism of the 1950s. The play remains interesting for modern audiences, who get to see the 1970s perspective on an earlier time, while it also provokes questions about a contemporary American society that has laws, in some states, governing which bathrooms a transgendered person can use.

"It's interesting to do this play, having come through a period of relative progressivism, and having moved into a period of conservatism. Aguably, this play is more relevant now than it was a year ago," said L'Ecuyer.

All that aside, Pankhurst said "Rocky Horror" persists as a favorite, both in film and on stage, for its pure entertainment factor. "It's fun and it's funny and it's a rocking good time," he said. 

After "Rocky Horror," the Winnipesaukee Playhouse's season of professional productions will continue with "High Society" June 28-July15, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" July 19-29, "The Graduate" Aug. 2-12, "Round and Round the Garden" Aug. 16-26, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" Aug. 30-Sept. 9, and, Oct. 5-8, "Death Trap." 

Each of the professional runs will feature a "Talk Back" night, when cast and crew will field questions from the audience after the show, a back stage tour so that audience members can peek behind the curtain to see how the play was put on, and a pre-performance symposium led by an expert in a subject related to the show. For "Rocky Horror," the talk-back will be following the June 21 performance, the back-stage tour will be after the June 15 show, and the symposium will take place preceding the June 20 production.

When he's not directing, L'Ecuyer also serves as the director of the Playhouse's educational programs. This summer, he will be running theater and integrated arts camp, with weeklong sessions for ages 5-11 and two-week sessions for ages 12 and 13. The camps are held July 10 through Aug. 18, at New Hampton School. He said there are more students than ever registered for the camp.

For tickets or other information, visit www.winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org or call 603-279-0333.