Do the Time Warp Again: Rocky Horror Picture Show Returned to Casper at Backwards Distilling Co.
It's astounding. Time is fleeting. Madness took its toll. But listen closely (not for very much longer). We've got to keep control.
It's been 40 years since the Rocky Horror Picture Show first hit theaters and, in those 40 years, it has become a cult classic; perfect for the midnight picture in a double feature. Though the film was initially panned critically and commercially, it found new life in darkened art houses and dirty drive ins.
And it was in those venues that something special happened. People wouldn't just watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show. They lived it. They would act out the parts, yell back lines to the screen, implement props and so much more. Rocky Horror became more than just a movie; it became an experience and its one that has lasted literal decades.
Rocky Horror used to show in Casper at the Rialto Theater, but until last December, it had been decades since Dr. Frank 'n Furter and crew graced the silver screens of a Casper theater. But on New Year's Eve, everybody did the Time Warp again. And then, on the second to last Sunday in October, they did it one more time at Backwards Distilling Co.
Keyhole Peepshow partnered with Backwards Distilling to put on a double feature that thrilled, chilled, and completely fulfilled. Various local actors and a menagerie of Keyhole burlesque dancers took the stage to present the classic stage show for over 200 people.
"We wanted to host Rocky Horror after Nicholas Johnson mentioned that he had done it before and still had many of the costumes and props," said Amber Pollock, owner of Backwards Distilling Co. "It's such a fun and interactive show. I really wanted to see it offered here in town this year. Both showings were sold out before the day of the show!"
It's true; for both shows, it was standing room only. This made it hard for the various scenes that involved walking through the aisles, but it was great for the moments which called for audience partici-...
pation, and boy, was there a lot of that. Audience members threw toilet paper, they snapped on rubber gloves, they called Brad and Janet a number of thoroughly offensive words that are unfit to print in this publication. The audience was as big of a part of the show as the cast members were, and that's exactly how it should have been.
"Rocky to me was a dream," said Misha C-B, who played Janet Majors in the show. "I’ve adored the musical and movie since I was a child. Of course I didn’t understand the context at such a young age, but I fell in love with the whimsy and incredible soundtrack. When I was asked to play Janet, I nearly screamed. I adored the cast and crew I worked with and would totally play everyone’s favorite virgin whore everyday for the rest of my life. I’m sad it’s over but Id drop everything to do it again."
Rocky Horror Picture Show is not for everyone. It's not for the 'Typical Theater-Goer.' It's not for the weak of heart, or the easily offended. Rocky is a show for the outcasts. It's a show for the losers and the lovers, the moon-walkers and the midnight marauders. It's a show for dreamers, that's all. In fact, that's the whole point of the show - 'Don't Dream it, Be it.'
Yes, Rocky Horror is a show about alien transvestites from Transsexual, Transylvania. Yes, it's a show about giving yourself over to absolute pleasure- consequences be damned. And yes, it's a show about gags and smirks and inside bits. But it's also a show about staying true to yourself. It's a show about finding who you are, and being that person no matter what anyone else in the world thinks. It's about being authentically, undoubtedly, irrevocably you. It's about not dreaming about being who you want, but actually being that person.
Rocky Horror is a story that is as important now as it was 50 years ago; maybe even more so. So wear those fishnets. Love who you want. And, most importantly, don't dream it.
Be it.
NSFW Photos can be seen below.