Frank-N-Furter has joined the circus.
The Historic Ruffin Theater in Covington is wrapping up this year’s run of “The Rocky Horror Show” this weekend, and the annual cult favorite has traded its spooky castle for a big top. Expect circus-themed costumes, a set that puts the audience inside the tent and, if the theater’s promises hold, a lion, a strongman or a fortune teller somewhere in the mix.
The story is the same one fans have been shouting along to for decades. Brad and Janet still blow a tire on a stormy night, still knock on the wrong door and still meet a houseful of characters nobody warned them about. The new setting is how the Ruffin keeps a show it stages every October from feeling like a rerun.
Director Madalyn Mason said the production runs on volunteer muscle. Cast members make or buy their own costumes and pitch in on the set to keep costs down.
“Rocky Horror is a labor of love,” Mason said. “We have the best cast and crew. They are such a blessing to work with.”
She credited the theater’s board with letting the cast reinvent the show each year, and said the money stays close to home.
“We want every dollar that is made or saved in the production to go back into the theater so that others in the community can benefit from seeing plays and being in plays throughout the rest of the year,” she said.
Mason said the cast would love to see new faces at auditions next year, and anyone who wants to support the theater in other ways is welcome to.
Audience participation is part of the deal. Interactive bags for the show’s famous callouts will be sold at concessions.
The show contains adult content, and all attendees must be 18 or older.
Cast and crew
Frank: Bryan Huffman
Janet: Leigh Ann Gomer
Brad: Bradley Sartain
Riff Raff: Ted Maclin
Magenta: Courtney Sartain
Columbia: Ellie Maclin
Rocky: Jere Mason
Eddie: Courtney Calvin
Dr. Scott: Jeremy Armstrong
Narrators: Brig Marrow and Missy Barrell
Usherette: Shalena Valkenburgh
Phantoms: Kynadee Arndt, Dana Bogard, Cassie White, Rebecca Billingsley and Debra Henson
Director: Madalyn Mason
Stage manager: Morgan Anderson
Set design: Ben Hawkins, Doug Bogard and Jade Mason
Choreographer: Brig Marrow
Light designer: LeighAnn Gomer
Light crew: Nathan McLemore and Seth Fullerton
Light manager: Vincent Whitehorn
Sound manager: Kyle Yarbrough
Backstage crew: Madison Hopkins
House manager: Dawn Detje
If you go
The final performances are Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. and a midnight show on Halloween at the Historic Ruffin Theater in Covington. Tickets are available at tiptonartscouncil.org. Ages 18 and up only. Fishnets encouraged.
