Madrid fans renenact "El Show De Terror De Rocky" (Photo by José María Mateos) If you were an awkward teen in the late '70s or '80s, chances are you've been to at least one midnight showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." The queen mother of camp classics became a cult phenomenon shortly after its premiere in late 1975, but long before Tim Curry kicked his fishnet-clad legs across the silver screen, he (along with many of his co-stars) was doing the "Time Warp" on the London stage. In fact, it was on this day in 1973 that the original production of "The Rocky Horror Show" enjoyed its opening night at London's Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. That production became a huge hit and ended up clocking in around 2,960 performances before finally closing in September of 1980. Audiences were enthralled and "The Rocky Horror Show" jumped the pond to play to enthusiastic crowds in Los Angeles, New York, and Australia -- but nothing could match the rabid enthusiasm engendered by 20th Century Fox's filmed version. On April Fools' Day in 1976, the Waverly Theater in NYC (now the IFC Center) decided to offer a midnight showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and, unbeknownst to those early attendees, a global craze was born. Within a few months, fans began showing up in elaborate costumes and started yelling witty cues and responses to the characters on screen. Acolytes arrived toting props like toast, toilet paper, water guns, and confetti, and emboldened fans would act out a floor show beneath the screen. The phenomenon swiftly spread and by the end of 1979, over 230 theaters across the U.S. were offering midnight screenings on Fridays and Saturdays -- and they still continue today. When out-of-work actor Richard O'Brien sat down to write a rock musical in the early '70s, he couldn't possibly have conceived that he would be creating a 30-year strong (and counting) bastion for self-proclaimed freaks and dorks and geeks and goths. It took the concept of audience partici...pation to an entirely new level and no other film has surpassed its staying power. Whatever its allure, the world of "Rocky Horror" has been a welcoming and deliriously happy home for all those who, in the words of Richard O'Brien himself, "swear, often and loudly, to strike a blow for glamour and frivolity, for rock-n-roll, for six-inch heels, for interplanetary intercourse, and for the Transylvanian Way." Suggested Sites... RHPS FAQ - features extensive FAQs regarding all things Rocky Horror. The Richard O'Brien Crusade - official site for Rocky Horror creator and star Richard O'Brien. The Rocky Horror Preservation Foundation - preserving the "Rocky Horror" experience for the future. Cosmo's Factory - features "Rocky Horror Picture Show" fan database, with online trivia game, and tons of images, downloads, FAQs, and more. RockyHorror.com - official fan site for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

Directory categories: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Cult Movies

Archived under: 1970s, 1980s, Actors, Anniversaries, Broadway, Counterculture, Cultures, Entertainment, Fanatics, Fashion, Horror, Horror Films, Lingerie, London, Make-Up, Movies, Musicals, Performing Arts, Rock and Roll, Society and Culture, United Kingdom

Post a comment (2) | Email this posting