THURSDAY,APRIL 24,2003
THEATER
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5
Hashinger residents produce low-budget'Rocky Horror'
By Henry C. Jackson
cjackson@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Stephen Moles wants to give the "Hashinger touch" to an old classic.
The Lawrence freshman is directing a cast of University of Kansas students in a rendition of the classic musical The Rocky Horror Show. But fans should not expect to see a carbon copy of the popular 1975 movie or the popular musical that inspired the movie, Moles said.
"It's not the movie — we're adding our own touch," Moles said.
Among the additions and amplifications Moles plans for his production are more dance sequences, more crowd participation and more reliance on sound effects.
Moles' production of The Rocky Horror Show is playing at 8 tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at the Hashinger Hall Theatre. The production is sponsored by the Hashinger Arts Council. Admission to the show is free, and seats are available on a first come, first serve basis.
"I think we're going to get a good crowd," Moles said. "I don't think there will be many empty seats."
When Moles first began to work on the
Pilar Pena/Kansan
Dylan Hilpman, Lawrence freshman, sings and dances as Dr. Frank N. Furter in a dress rehearsal of The Rocky Horror Show. Hilpman rehearsed yesterday night in the Hashinger Hall Theatre production directed by Stephen Moles,
'THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW'
Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show, directed by Stephen Moles. Lawrence freshman, opens at 8 tonight and runs through Saturday at the Hashinger Hall Theatre. Admission is free. Seats are not reserved.
production two months ago, he wasn't sure about filling seats in Hashinger Hall Theatre. The project's limited budget cast members made the set with whatever they could find did not offer any comfort,either.
"I wasn't sure how it would turn out," Moles said.
But the cast rallied around the limited budget.
"Rocky Horror is kind of crazy anyway, so we kind of burned holes in things and spray painted stuff, and it came together," said Chloe Wong, Junction City freshman, who is in charge of sound and lighting for the production.
Moles and the rest of the cast are excited about how the production has progressed. Though she said making Rocky Horror at Hashinger was unique from her previous theater work, Lara Mann, Lawrence freshman, said, she didn't let the differences bother her.
"I took the attitude that the production could only be so big," said Mann, who is playing the role of Janet in the production. "It doesn't mean it can only be so good though."
Moles said he was counting on an active audience during the show's three-day run, because of the nature of The Rocky Horror Show.
"Because it's Rocky Horror, I think we'll have a pumped-up crowd," Moles said. "I think people will be rowdy. It will be great."
Though the original The Rocky Horror Show debuted in the 1970s, Moles said the issues the musical brought out were still applicable.
Dylan Hilpman, Lawrence freshman, who is playing the part of Dr. Frank N. Furter in the production, said he participated in the play because he enjoyed the people he was working with.
"The sexuality, the blossoming of characters, it's all relevant," he said.
"It's a rewarding and boisterous experience," he said.
Newrence freshman. Edited by Andrew Ward.
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