Percy Bartelt, opinions editor

As if Augsburg’s Theater Department couldn’t rock any harder, their production of the hit musical “The Rocky Horror Show” is amazing! This was already one of my favorite musicals, one that I hadn’t seen in a long time and getting to see my friends and fellow Auggies perform just made it all the more enjoyable!

Already when I walked into the theater, the vibes were immaculate. The lighting was nice and low, with amazing blues, indigos and oranges. And not to mention the set design, which had the stage decorated with intrinsic designs to capture the risque, dramatic and sci-fi-esque vibes of the play. The front row seating was also designed to look like a cabaret bar which definitely added to the theme. The tables had adorable little lamps and sequin tablecloths — truly incredible. The set designers in the Theater Department never miss!

I could go on and on about the wonderful performers as well! Even just getting the privilege to witness a rehearsal, rather than a traditional and full-fledged performance, the actors did a phenomenal job. The main character Frank-N-Furter is played by Skye Seiler, a first year, I say again — A FIRST YEAR — who absolutely killed all of her scenes. From her skillful singing and dancing, to the way she owns the stage in every scene makes for an engaging performance — and the evil laughter, YES! “Time Warp” and “Sweet Transvestite” were, of course, my favorite songs too. When asked about her favorite part of preparing for this production, Seiler said in a quote to the Echo that it was “being able to build up [her] confidence with this character and sharpen [her] performance.” 

As for other cast members, I also have to point out the iconic duo of Max Jacobson and Savanna Gorbunow playing the main couple  of Janet Weiss and Brad Majors. They work wonderfully together, and you can always see the raw emotion they’re feeling when they first get to Frank’s mansion and are terrified of the characters that live there. First-year Nox GebbenGreen, who plays Magenta, also had an amazing performance. Nox is an incredible physical actor, always staying in character even when they weren’t saying anything. When asked about how musicals differ from traditional plays, GebbenGreen responded, “I would say musicals are actually easier than traditional plays. When it comes to memorizing my lines/cues/blocking it helps me to think of them rhythmically — like a dance or a song.” Truly amazing! I also have to point out that the Echo’s very own Abi Hilden did amazing in their role as Columbia, they even did some tap dancing! 

There’s even more incredible actors and performers that I could go on for hours about, like RiffRaff or Rocky or Eddie, all of them! But I have to also mention that there’s live music brought to us by Augsburg Music students! Instant 10/10 for me and I can’t wait to go back and see the full performance — GO WATCH “THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW!” There are four more performances this weekend and you definitely can’t miss it, get your tickets on the Augsburg Theater website now!