October 19th, 2019
SAINT PETER, MINN. – Thirty local musicians form the cast, band, and chorus of The Rocky Horror Show/Bat Out Of Hell Pageant & Singalong, a free, one-night-only community musical event on Saturday, October 26, 8:00 p.m. at Patrick’s on Third, 125 S. Third Street, St. Peter.
Several of the cast members rarely perform in public, or are making their public debut with this production. “Those are some of the most standout performances,” says Arts Center Executive Director Ann Rosenquist Fee. “Three soloists who really fit that bill are Rachel Maccabee, Lisa Noll, and Ronda Redmond, all powerful altos, each taking lead on a different Meat Loaf tune.”
The production also includes some staples of the local arts scene—Evan Bierer (sax), Betty Harsma (vocals, pole), Laura Karels (vocals), Colin Scharf (vocals), Emily Stark (vocals, tap), and Joe Tougas (vocals, guitar).
Early in the rehearsal phase, Stark claimed the role of “Time Warp’s” tap-dancing Columbia. Three fellow chorus members with childhood tap experience—Maureen Gustafson, Jill Hildebrandt, and Ronda Redmond—also expressed interest, and the group quickly committed to refreshing their skills and developing choreography. The result is a tap quartet on raised platforms throughout the entire eighteen-song production, with costume changes to suit the mood of each tune from the 1973 Richard O’Brien Musical The Rocky Horror Show or Meat Loaf’s 1977 debut studio album Bat out of Hell.
The event is free and lyrics will be provided. Bar and restaurant seating will be first-come, first-served. Audiences are encouraged to dress in the same vein as the performers, mixing costume elements from Meat Loaf’s role in Rocky Horror (leather, denim) and his Bat out of Hell persona (tuxedo, ruffles, suspenders). Audiences are also welcome at the final rehearsal on Wednesday, Wednesday, October 23, 7:00 p.m. at Patrick’s on Third.
Information about future community singalong events will be announced via the public Facebook group “Pageant & Singalong Nation.”
The Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps provided financial support for the production. The event is made possible by support from the State Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature to KMSU Radio.