By Gordon Dritschilo
THE RUTLAND HERALD
Jacob Patorti is ready to do the Time Warp again.
The production of “Rocky Horror Show” Patorti will headline Friday is his eighth, and it is in a different venue than he’s had for the show before: Cedar Meadow VT, off Rice Willis Road in Castleton.
“It’s a 36-foot-wide outside stage,” said Patorti, who owns Merchants Hall and runs Vermont Theatre Lab. “We can affect more audience members and invite them to our party than we could at Merchants Hall. … It’s more mysterious. We’re in the woods. We’re in the dark.”
The “Rocky Horror Show” is a campy tribute to schlocky horror and sci-fi movies with a strong element of audience participation, and that’s as simply as the show can be summarized without getting into all kinds of weird detail. Its history is intertwined with that of the LGBTQ community, and Patorti said he sees trends in the theater right now that point toward a thirst for shows tapping into various counterculture elements.
“I’m seeing a lot of theater companies doing ‘Hair’ this summer,” he said. “We need to let the magic of theater guide us and transport us to a land that’s nothing like where we live today.”
It’s a show Patorti keeps coming back to. This time, he’s taking on a role he hasn’t before: transvestite mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter, played in the original London and Broadway productions as well as the 1975 film version by Tim Curry.
“I’ve always music directed,” Patorti said. “Two times, I’ve played Riff Raff, and once I’ve played Eddie. This time I’m putting on high heels and strutting.”
Patorti said he went into this particular production fully aware that modern audiences are reevaluating old favorites, and he wants to make sure all the jokes land.
“This show is extremely off-color,” he said. “It’s a wild ride to try not to offend anyone based on current belief.”
Patorti said most of his cast was assembled from local talent, such as MJ Perkins, who plays
the Narrator and Dr. Scott. Perkins said she was particularly excited about the outdoor performance space.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said. “The place is gonna rock. ‘Rocky,’ as you know, is usually accompanied by a lot of flak from the audience. I think that’s going to be exponentially greater.”
One out-of-towner Patorti pulled in for the show is Katie Hutch, who’s been doing comedy and off-Broadway work in New York City and who signed on to play the female lead, Janet.
“I went to college with Jacob, and I’d do pretty much anything for him,” she said. “He puts on a really good show, and I’ll work with him every chance I get.”
Hutch said it was an honor to take on a role played by Susan Sarandon in the movie.
“There’s just endless bits of inspiration I can gather from that,” she said, adding that she was working to put her own spin on the character. “There’s not blind acceptance of everything happening to her and at her, but more of a deeper understanding. … Any time I’ve gotten to witness or be in any of Jacob’s work it’s been worth it.”
Gates open at 7 p.m. with showtime at 8.
Tickets start at $20. A cash bar will be available. Visit cedarmeadowvt.com for more information.
gordon.dritschilo @rutlandherald.com
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