Now this is one review that's been sitting in my back burner for years, but since I'm still in recovery from their 10th birthday show, which was held last night, it's time I finally whip this out.
Having spent some years in the Rocky Horror community, I've always found Hedwig refreshing. In the long run, it's a better movie -- great music, a deeper story, and more colorful characters -- and I've loved it for years. Yep, I'm a Hed Head.
I first saw Rainbow Carnage nearly a decade ago, when Midnight Insanity, the Rocky Horror group I was associated with, still had their own Hedwig shadow cast, the Crypto Homo Rockers (and sadly CHR disbanded before I got the chance to see a show). They were doing a Kick Some Karaoke Ass theme night, with cast and audience members getting up to sing before the show. Even back then, I'd found Rainbow Carnage to be exciting, doing their film justice.
Unlike Rocky, where call-outs are usually made putting down the characters, props, set pieces, and songs in the movie, Rainbow Carnage reiterates before their performances, "We love our movie, and please respect it." That's not to say that people still don't yell out their own jokes during the show and get a laugh from the crowd (I giggled like an idiot at the end when someone shouted, "Gentlemen, please, it's after Labor Day." Well, you had to be there). It's thoroughly encouraged that you sing along with the movie, as well.
Also unlike the majority of Rocky shadow casts, due to the frequent costume changes in Hedwig, Rainbow Carnage uses multiple actors to play the roles. So you could see one person play Hedwig during "Tear Me Down," a different person as Hedwig for "Origin of Love," and then the first actor again for "Sugar Daddy." For the record, the girl whom I always considered a kick-ass Yitzhak some years back is now a bad-ass Hedwig. She's got the blocking down perfectly.
As others have mentioned it is an interactive show. During the scene between Tommy Gnosis and Hedwig in her trailer, cast members drape a clothes line over the audience with slips, stockings, and shirts sliding across their faces like Hedwig and Tommy slipping through a labyrinth of laundry. During "Sugar Daddy," they toss out baggies of Gummi Bears, and YES, someone DOES get a "carwash, ladies and gentlemen!" Unlike Rocky they won't be squirting water at you during any scene (not that any scene really calls for it), so you can rest easy there.
I just wish Rainbow Carnage held more shows throughout the year. I remember when they went down to performing quarterly and I was pretty bummed. Well, here's to another 10 years for the longest running Hedwig cast in the world! read more