by Bart Whiteman
posted November 10, 2005
Before there was a Rocky I, II, III, IV, V, and (perhaps) VI there was The Rocky Horror Show. This piece of theatrical grit which has an irrepressible cult following – they are out there among you right now – has made itself the staple of the over-adorned and under-appreciated for decades.
When I lived in Washington, D.C, the movie version, which gave us Susan Sarandon among other things, played at midnight (its only suitable curtain time) on weekends forever. It just never stopped. I made it to one performance and have never seen anything like it. The audience was in full character costumes and completely lit. Everyone knew the entire thing by heart. Multiple versions of it were going on throughout the theatre in sync with the movie, which actually became of secondary importance. The show was in the seats.
I don’t know if Chattanooga has it in itself to be what this show is: a reason to step out. We are very contained. We embrace sanity as if it were a desirable refuge. I once saw a producer friend of mine doing the stage version, again in Washington. It was a monster hit. He couldn’t close it. It was driving him out of his mind. I never saw him so distraught. Success was pushing him under. Ah, the joys of predictable mediocrity!
Rocky Horror, for the uninitiated, is loosely based on all of the B-grade, sci-fi and monster flicks of the 1950’s, where we have the “innocent” couple, Brad and Janet, whose car breaks down on a lonely road during a thunderstorm. They knock on the door of a nearby castle to use the telephone. In other words, in the age of cell phones this story could never happen today. Unusual people live inside.
At the Encore Dinner Theatre, Jeffery McKee as Frank N’ Furter dominates a cast of denizens. (Remember you live and work with these same people.) You will hardly forget his strut across the stage. It’s time you made Rocky a part of your life, but don’t just sit there.
Encore Dinner Theatre is located at 3264 Brainerd Road, right down the hill from the Comedy Catch. For reservations and further information, call 629-1565.
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