The first time I watched Rocky Horror Picture Show, I had just hit puberty. My mom left a copy of the DVD sitting out on the kitchen counter in our home in Idaho. I didn’t fully understand the raunchy, raucous musical, but I was enthralled regardless, and I quickly became the gateway for most of my friends’ first RHPS viewings. One guy watched it with me on a Saturday, left my house in silent shock, then walked up to me at school on Monday morning and said, “I’m still trying to figure out that movie.”
There isn’t really anything to figure out — it’s Rocky Horror! But despite indoctrinating my friend group and scream-singing the soundtrack out the windows of my ’96 Ford Tempo down suburban back roads, my Rocky Horror experience stayed largely isolated to the screen. I’d never been to one of the infamous screenings with costumes and rice throwing, and I’d never seen it live.
Enter the Bay Area chapter of my life.
Why did the guy next to me keep offering me sips off his wine glass? Would there be rice? Should I have brought my own rice?
I went to see Ray of Light Theatre perform Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Victoria Theatre in the Mission. I had no idea what to expect. I knew Ray of Light was a nonprofit theatre troupe; I knew the Victoria Theatre was the oldest-running theatre in the city; and I knew I was regretting throwing out my Magenta costume from that one Halloween in high school. Would there be a movie too? Was I confusing this with something else? I guess if I was going to be confused, being in the audience of an RHPS production would be a good spot. Why did the guy next to me keep offering me sips off his wine glass? Would there be rice? Should I have brought my own rice?
A group of women in tutus took the stage and opened with the iconic “Science Fiction / Double Feature.” It was like I was 13 again but without the acne and hair in strange places.
My question was answered by the PA. It blared, among other things, “If you throw anything, we will throw you out.” No rice, then.
A group of women in tutus took the stage and opened with the iconic “Science Fiction / Double Feature.” It was like I was 13 again but without the acne and hair in strange places.
The cast and crew of Ray of Light did a fantastic job of combining the ridiculous, campy, sexually confusing world of RHPS with the charged energy of live theatre and an engaged audience. Instead of throwing food items and reciting lines from the aisles during the movie, there were Statler-and-Waldorf-style “hecklers” in the balcony seats yelling asides, jabs and jokes during the entire show. Initially, I definitely thought there were some die-hard fans in the audience and that maybe I was missing something. It’s entirely possible this is still the case, but I like the idea of Muppets in drag yelling from somewhere above my head better than FOMO.
I’m not new to the theatre, and I’m not new to Rocky Horror, but combining the two gave me some new questions and observations. For example:
“Twerking is a very clever way to get across a space in order to transition to the next scene.”
“Can she put tap shoes on that fa — oh, she’s tap-dancing, motherfuckers.”
“I don’t remember the shadow sex being this — THAT IS A DICK, AND WHAT DID HE JUST SPIT OUT?”
“Dr. Frank N. Furter engaging with the dancers in this scene builds great comedic tension. Where did that Ping-Pong ball come from?”
“I wonder how many people it takes to quick-change between bustiers.”
The cast played off of one another with a deep-rooted joy you could feel from the seats, which allowed for a few key moments of sincerity. Somehow, someway, this Rocky Horror Picture Show wasn’t just camp and circumstance — it felt real. Well, as real as glam-rock aliens from outer space having elbow sex could feel.
While I’m usually embarrassed because I snort-laugh too loudly during movies or shows, with the Ray of Light cast building off of the audience, I felt like I was contributing. Between the packed house and the familiar story onstage made new, I got a tingle of that special brand of theatre magic that connects a building full of people for just a few hours. Well…that’s what I’m calling the tingle the next morning, anyway.
Ray of Light will continue their Rocky Horror Picture Show performances through November 5 at the Victoria Theatre. You can get your tickets here.
