A cast of Victoria-based drag kings and queens are putting on four performances of the cult-classic, Rocky Horror Picture Show next month.
This production of Rocky Horror Picture Show is being put on by Drag Sunday Productions, which is run by local drag legend, Shelita Cox.
Cox says this will be the second year that the production is put on by the local queens and kings. In 2022, the show was put on at Paparazzi, but since the first year’s performances were such a resounding success, this year’s event will take place at the Roxy Theatre on Quadra Street to accommodate a larger audience.
“Last year was a great year for us to kind of get our roots embedded in the production and make sure we’re able to produce high quality content, and from [Paparazzi] we sold out four shows,” Cox told Victoria Buzz.
“If we’re going to do four shows again, we’ll do four shows but with more seats, so last October, right after the production, we started looking for what venue could accommodate a lot higher quantity of people.”
The Roxy Theatre can hold 221 people in total and the production will be done in four showings that Cox says are already on the cusp of selling out.
“I very much believe we’re going to sell out,” Cox said. “I’ve been in talks with the theatre and we might be adding a fifth showing.”
“Right now there’s a seven o’clock and a nine o’clock showing on both the 20th and 21st [of October] but there’s potential for a matinee on the 21st if there’s demand.”
The additional showing will be slated for October 21st at 4 p.m.
Cox says as of this publication, around 72% has been sold of the four initial shows announced. She says that if people are waiting until the last minute to buy tickets, they may be out of luck.
This year’s cast of the all-drag Rocky Horror Picture Show includes some of Victoria’s favourite kings and queens:
- Shelita Cox as Dr. Frank-N-Furter
- Electra Socket as Janet Weiss
- Persi Flage as Brad Majors
- Eddie Licious as Riff Raff
- Henrietta Dubet as Magenta
- Ghost of Judith as Columbia
- Lorance of A’Labia as Dr. Everett V. Scott
- Fairy Manalow as Rocky
- Sir Ryan Real as Eddie
- J Bird McLaughlin as Criminologist
- Fierce Brosnan, Ukee Lulu and Aria Okay as the Transyvanians
Cox encourages all who manage to attain a ticket to also dress up and remember that audience participation is a key component of any Rocky Horror Picture Show production.
“It definitely draws the younger crowd who want to be involved in the community,” Cox explained.
“Everyone jumps up in participation during the Time Warp, there is around a dozen props that are involved in the full production where you throw rice or toast at the wedding, throw cards during the lyric in the song, wear a party hat and spin around noisemakers when Rocky comes to life and there’s a bunch of different queues.”
Because the Roxy Theatre is a professional theatre and Cox doesn’t want to make a mess of it, no audience member is allowed to bring their own props but props will be available at the show.
Cox and the queens will be selling a prop bag full of pre-approved items that have been okayed by the theatre and many of them are custom made for this showing and feature the queens from the production.
“We want it to be a true cult showing,” Cox told Victoria Buzz. “Although you can’t bring your own props, we are selling prop bags along with hoping everyone comes in a character of Rocky Horror because it really adds to the energy of the evening.”
“To create a very unique experience for the cult showing, our prop bags will be full of completely custom merchandise custom to our cast, in the characters of Rocky Horror.”
“During one of the final songs in the play, where rocky says, “cards for sorrow, cards for pain,” is the lyric, you’re supposed to throw a handful of cards in the air, but instead of giving everyone a couple cards, I’ve commissioned a completely custom 54-card deck of cards where every face is a unique digital rendering of one of the cast members in last year’s production,” Cox continued.
The idea behind the custom prop bags was essentially to give everyone keepsakes to take home from the show.
Already Cox is looking ahead to next year’s showings and is keen on growing the production beyond the confines of Victoria.
She says there is a chance she and the rest of the all drag cast will take the show on the road up island and perhaps beyond.
An All Drag Cast Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Where: The Roxy Theatre, 2657 Quadra Street
- When:
- October 20th, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. showings
- October 21st, 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. showings
- Tickets: $45, available online
