CLASS! Magazine (January 2005)

Let's Do The Time Warp Again!

You're sitting at home on a Saturday night, bored out of your mind considering there might be nothing to do around the city of Las Vegas with all its age limits and curfews. Not only that, but your friends might not be avaliable and can't hang out with you. What do you do? Well, there is one place that everyone 17 and over is welcome, and that's midnight showings of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," hosted and performed by the acting group Frankie's Favorite Obsession!

Every first and third Saturday of the month, the cast gets together at Tropicana Cinemas to perform the show while the movie is being played above them on the screen. Every time is a different theme, such as the famous and crazy Halloween Shows. There's almost always a crazy and comedic pre-show, with a contest for best costume or whatever fits the theme of that particular night.

Afterwards, a hilarious pledge is recited by everyone attending as well as the cast and crew, and then they show the original trailer from 1975 on the screen. Once that is over with, the movie begins with the 20th Century-Fox Logo and the famous red lips singing, "Science Fiction/Double Feature."

For those not familiar with the movie, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was released in September 1975 to initially poor reviews and was a box-office bomb (worse than "Gigli"). However, in April 1976, the movie started showing at art houses and select theatres at midnight on Saturdays, and it quickly became a smash hit with audiences, making it THE cult movie of the 20th century. To this day, the movie is still shown around the world.

It's about a young, recently engaged couple named Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon), who are on their way to visit their friend Dr. Everett Scott (Jonathan Adams) when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere during a nasty rainstorm. The couple is forced to stop at a mysterious castle simply to find a telephone. Instead, they are lured into the crazy adventures of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) and his fellow Translvyanians.

What made the movie so memorable was not so much the plot, which was a spoof of sci-fi and horror movies from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, but more for its music and crazy scenarios. Don't worry; the plot is very funny and rather unique in my point of view.

One of the things that has made the midnight showings so enjoyable for nearly 30 years is the audience participation, which consists of yelling comments back at the screen, some of them downright crude and original, some of them that will make the whole audience crack up, and some that draw comparisons to current events on the news. Another is the use of certain props; before the show, there will be sexy usherettes in the lobby distributing "Survivial Kits" for $1, and they are used in certain moments of the movie.

For example, there are instructions on how to do the "Time Warp" dance, which is one of the two most memorable aspects of the movie (Tim Curry's gender-bending performance is the other). The best part, however, is the feeling that you're welcome and being accepted from all the people who attend, not to mention the cast of performers who lead the audience participation too. Everyone is welcome, and there is no bias based on whomever you may be, or what your lifestyle is.

And, of course, there's the cast's performance itself, running a very movie-accurate performance, sometimes with more comedy and audience interaction. This particular cast is vert dedicated to their performances, totally unselfish, very talented and skilled, and has been highly regarded among many. They are also slated to perform at the Rocky Horror convention next summer here in Las Vegas.

So, if you need a low-cost (only $5!), high-energy night out, give yourself over to abosolute pleasure and come see "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"!

WHAT:"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (Rated R)
WHERE: Tropicana Cinemas, 3330 E. Tropicana Ave., on the corner of Pecos Road and Tropicana
WHEN: First and third Saturdays of each month at midnight
PRICE: $5

Note: This was written by FFO's own Jonathan Ruggiero