Out at The Booth, the sun was just beginning to set as the cast and crew prepared for the evening tech session – when the lights would come on, and the magic would really start to happen.
As we waited for the last bit of daylight to fade, I took the opportunity to speak with Jesse Gephart, who stars as the otherworldly scientist/pleasure-seeker, Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
Entering his dressing room backstage – which he shares with Penn Holderness, who plays Riff Raff – I found Jesse mid-prep, getting some corset-lacing assistance from the show’s Associate Choreographer, Kate McMillan.
The Allure
As he continued getting ready, I asked Jesse what he thought it was about the show (and the movie it spawned) that generated such a cult following — with hoards of dedicated fans attending midnight showings, where people dance around in their underwear while hurling toilet paper and rice at the screen.
“I think that there is something about the whole ‘freedom of expression, it's totally fine to be totally weird' aspect of the show. It’s like Halloween every day. And Halloween makes people go crazy. At the end of the day, I think it's a show that rocks pretty hard, and it’s so weird, and it’s so sexy. And so unapologetically sexy too. And that excites people.”
The Audience
As we chatted, the sounds of “Sweet Transvestite” fittingly echoed from the stage, where Ethan Andersen – the show’s Music Director – was running through the number on the keyboard.
I asked Jesse about his experience doing the show before (three years ago, at a theatre in Wilmington), and he confessed that it was quite a ride.
“I was not prepared for the audience reaction to it. When I came out the first time for Sweet Transvestite, the audience went so crazy I could feel the walls shake.”
While the thrill of that moment was certainly intoxicating, Jesse mentioned that he wasn’t the only one who felt…overcome during the show. It seems that audience members (understandably) wanted to share in that “intoxicated” feeling – so much so that he once had to stop a performance and ask a particularly disruptive patron to pull it together or leave.
But he acknowledged that when it comes to Rocky Horror – a show that invites audience members to shout insults and one-liners directly at the stage – you have to be prepared to take it as it comes. Because after all, that’s half the fun.
The Icon
Aside from fending off over-eager audience members, taking on a role made famous (both on stage and screen) by the incomparable Tim Curry comes with a unique set of challenges.
I asked Jesse how he approached stepping into the shoes of an icon – which, in this case, are a pair of fabulous 5-inch patent leather heels.
“You either honor him, or you do something totally different. And I just don’t think that doing something totally different has benefitted people. So [honoring him] is what I try to do."
Discussing how he walks the line between honoring and imitating, Jesse offered:
“I think a lot of it is in the way that I say things – the vocal quality of it. He was so free in it. And so loose, and a very raw kind of sexy. And then on top of that, it’s whatever I bring as me."
While Tim Curry’s genius in the role is hardly debatable, the actions of his character, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, are much more contentious. When I asked Jesse for his take on Frank, he suggested:
“It’s weird because he’s given this moment at the end, with this beautiful song to sing [“I’m Going Home”]. But he is all about absolute pleasure, all the time, at any cost. And he wants to maintain control of it all. [...] One of the things I love about this production is that in the bedroom scenes [with Brad and Janet], we’ve really been able to ground the scenes in something really true. You get to see Frank work his magic – and it’s not rooted in the visual [referring to the typical treatment of the scenes played in silhouette, for raunchy laughs]. You get to watch him manipulate them, and see it all happen – and that’s fun.”
Making an Entrance
“I do think this might be a little tight. Just a little bit.”
After a brief pause to make sure he could breathe properly in his newly fitted costume (now consisting of a silky red corset, a black mesh bodysuit, fishnets and heels), I asked Jesse what he found to be the most difficult aspect of playing the role.
“I don’t necessarily feel like me, that Jesse, is like a sexy person. So having to embody someone like Frank can be difficult. But I think it will be easier now for me to feel sexy because of what I have on.”
When I mentioned the heels, asking Jesse about his comfort level with them, he revealed that they actually belonged to him, and that he’d worn them before. But while the footwear wasn’t an entirely new experience, he mentioned that there were aspects of the show that were unfamiliar to him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done a show where it’s like a Britney Spears concert - where I’m in the front, doing minimal movement, while the ensemble is behind me busting their humps and looking amazing."
And when I inquired as to his favorite moment in the show, he answered without hesitation:
“Sweet Transvestite - the whole number, but especially the entrance. My gut tells me that as soon as that piano starts playing, people are going to go crazy.”
We paused for one final corset check.
“Is it tight enough? Can you breathe?”
“No it’s good. [slight pause] I mean, it’s how it should be.”
And in many ways, that was a fitting picture of the role, and of the show itself: sometimes uncomfortable, but always (at least, when laced up right) an undeniably sexy statement that – in it’s own deliciously twisted way – is truly beautiful to behold.
Catch Jesse Gephart in The Rocky Horror Show!
Cary’s Booth Ampitheatre
October 27 & 28
7:30pm
Time is fleeting…. Get your tickets now!