It’s Halloween ““ what are your plans?
Trick-or-treating? A party? How about a mainstay of goblins and
ghouls everywhere ““ “The Rocky Horror Picture
Show”?
On top of its regular Saturday midnight showings, the Nuart
Theater on Santa Monica Boulevard will give a special presentation
tonight at midnight to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve.
The 1975 film-musical that blurred the lines between live and
recorded performance, sexual identity, and good and bad taste, has,
after 25 years, remained a mainstay for cult fanatics and curious
onlookers alike. Launching the careers of performers Tim Curry,
Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick, some might say the film no
longer has the impact it had in the past. In fact, even Broadway
has used “Rocky Horror” as material for a live stage
adaptation for rich New York socialites and tourists to marvel
at.
However many fans find the live aspect the most refreshing part
of the “Rocky Horror” experience. Actors mimic scenes
and musical numbers live in front of the screen at the same time as
their celluloid counterparts perform.
“They do this pre-show thing called the “˜Rocky
Horror’ pledge of allegiance,” said second-year English
student Christy Gill. “You put your right hand in the air,
and your left hand on the crotch next to you.”
First-timers to “Rocky Horror,” termed by more
seasoned viewers as “virgins,” receive special
attention. Gill, who saw “Rocky Horror” at the Nuart
for the first time, experienced this first-hand.
“If you’re a virgin, you get handed to the front of
the stage,” Gill said, “Cast members, employees, they
pretend to dry-hump you, so you’re not a virgin
anymore.”
The wild actions are less about sex and more about having a good
time. “It’s mostly to embarrass you,” Gill
said.
Others have seen the film and come back for more. Daniel
Lincoln, a first-year voice student, was first exposed to the
“Rocky Horror” phenomenon on video when he was 16. From
then on, he’s seen it at the Nuart and at the Art Theater in
Long Beach.
Lincoln’s first time was wild. “My friends were all
too eager to inform (those performing) that I was a virgin.
Definitely a learning experience,” he said.
Since then, Lincoln has returned, dressing up as characters,
including Rocky in a gold speedo. “It doesn’t get too
cold in Long Beach,” he said.
When asked if he had any words of wisdom for anyone interested
on attending, he said, “Come with an open mind … and
colorful underwear.”
The Halloween showing at the Nuart promises no less than
madness. The assistant manager at the Nuart, who refused to reveal
his name for personal reasons, has helped run the Halloween show
since 1999 and almost every Saturday night performance since
then.
Including the regular festivities, tonight’s viewing will
also include a live performance piece dedicated entirely to
cult-film director Tim Burton.
The assistant further refused to reveal what he thought was the
wildest moment he’s witnessed during his time at the Nuart.
But he did elaborate, saying, “I think whatever happens at
“˜Rocky,’ stays at “˜Rocky.'”