D'Arcy Drollinger, Lisa Frankenstein and Julio Chavez Photo by Nicole Fraser-Herron

Now, if you think of debauchery as a moral failing of the highest order, this is probably not the show for you. (Though, if you gave it a chance, you might be surprised at how much you actually enjoy it.) But if debauchery to you is simply having fun with gender roles and skipping along the border of sexual naughtiness, then The Rocky Horror Show is a feast of aural, visual, and comic delights.

As Ray of Light did when they staged The Rocky Horror Show back in 2021, the experience is interactive and immersive. Because of the physical layout of The Oasis, you purchase your ticket for one of three entry times. But the fun begins even before you enter, as an Usherette (Em) performs the show's opening number ("Science Fiction/Double Feature") for you on the sidewalk outside the club.

Stepping through the main entrance leads you to the outer bar of The Oasis, where college kids Brad (Julio Chavez) and Janet (Lisa Frankenstein) are attending the wedding of their friends Ralph and Betty. Swept away by the romance of it all, Brad proposes to Janet via the song "Damn-it, Janet." As they motor away to break the good news to their former teacher, their car breaks down. Luckily (maybe) for them, there's a light on at a castle they had just passed, so they head there seeking a phone to call for assistance.

After "Over at the Frankenstein Place" is performed, your group is guided into the main room, where a burlesque cabaret is in full swing. Meanwhile, the next group enters the outer bar, where the first 15 minutes of the show is repeated for them. You however, can enjoy the go-go dancers and costumed cast members, grab a drink from the bar, and find a spot from which to enjoy the show. (Except for a dozen or so VIP seats along the runway thrust, and eight ADA seats, everyone stands for the entire 90-minute show.) Once all three groups are inside, things get off to an energetic start as the entire cast perform the show's most famous song, "Time Warp."

From there, the energy never dips, thanks to a very talented cast outfitted in glorious costumes (by Daniel Harvey) and wigs (by Laundra Tyme). Julio Chavez is a marvelously nerdy Brad in his plaid suit with black belt, brown shoes and–in the perfect uber-nerd touch–with his shirt tucked into the waistband of his tighty-whities. As Janet, Lisa Frankenstein may lack the vocal chops required of the role, but compensates for her occasional pitchiness with irrepressible giddy energy and wide-eye takes at the never-ending queerness happening among the clan led by Frank N. Furter (D'Arcy Drollinger), the "sweet transvestite from Transylvania."

Brad and Janet have been drawn into Frank's orbit on a most auspicious night, as he is planning to bring to life his creation, a muscle man named Rocky (played with vigor by Kipp Glass). Frank is assisted in his quest by his gang of minions: the imposing Riff-Raff (Joe Greene), Columbia (a delightfully squeaky-voiced Snaxx), and Magenta (Trixxie Carr), who is outfitted with a spectacularly buoyant wig that put me in mind of a giant helping of pumpkin spice cotton candy.

Occasional video projections and graphics (by Pseuda) help drive some the action and illustrate plot points that would be challenging to stage, but they're so well done (even given the lo-res aesthetic) that they feel seamlessly integrated into the live action.

Yes, The Rocky Horror Show is decadent. Yes, it would likely shock that aunt of yours visiting from Wyoming. But the show isn't about decadence for decadence's sake, it's a celebration of freedom and liberation, of allowing everyone to express parts of themselves (often their whole selves) without limitations or shame or feeling forced to hew to societal convention. As the cast sing at the close of the show (while Frank N. Furter struts the runway in a diaphanous gown with eight of ten trains attached to its waist like an angelic maypole), "don't dream it–be it." And there may be no better place on Earth to be exactly who you are than San Francisco.

The Rocky Horror Show runs through October 31, 2024, at The Oasis, 298 11th Street, San Francisco CA. Performances are Thursdays - Saturdays plus Halloween Sunday, with staggered entries at 6:30, 6:45, and 7:00p.m. Tickets are $50.15 (standing room) - 106.53 (VIP seating). Tickets are selling fast, please visit www.rayoflighttheatre.com or www.sfoasis.com quickly.