I will always always wonder what ever happened to Saturday night.
On Halloween at midnight, The Englert Theater showed the pop culture classic Rocky Horror Picture Show complete with tight leather, scantily clad sweet transvestites, and audience partic- (say it!) - pation.
As a "Rocky Horror Virgin", I was new to why such an awful movie with rambling plot lines has such a cult following. But regardless, I wanted to see what it was all about. Entering the theater, there was a certain energy that shifted from the drunken downtown streets into an exaggerated, loose-lipped, flagrant atmosphere of the lobby in The Englert Theater. I made it through the theater door, grabbed my prop bag, and receive the infamous "v" for virgin on my forehead.
Audience members' costumes varied among creative costumes such as peacocks and fortune tellers to emulating the costumed characters in the movie. Dr. Frankenfurter was reincarnated by tight, black corsets, and those mimicking the stylings of Rocky stripped down to a single pair of golden briefs.
As the time neared midnight, even organizers dressed in character clothing rounded up all of the "virgins" to the front of the stage for the ritual hazing. Packed closely with others, we were instructed to do pelvic thrusts; therefore, we lost our Rocky Horror Picture Show virginity. After this, we were allowed back to our seats for the movie to begin.
The infamous pair of blood red lips appeared on the screen and began a movie showing where I saw, felt, and screamed. I never thought I would be viewing a movie where it was okay, and even encouraged, to scream profanities at the movie screen. Not only this, but audience members also pelted pieces of stale toast and playing cards. The pelting had its risks for I was in seating close to the front and was hit by toast shrapnel. We were also given newspaper to cover our heads to fend off the rain that was pouring down in one of the scenes.
The movie, absent of all audience participation and heckling, is really quite terrible. At times I would neglect to shout or throw objects and actually pay attention to the movie. That was a bad idea.
But one thing is for sure - I will be doing the Time Warp agaaaiiiinnnn...
-Hanna Rosman
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