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Candles burned next to chalked messages to Tim Curry on the sidewalk outside the Mayfair Theatre in Old Ottawa South on Friday night, when a line of moviegoers in fishnets, makeup and heels queued for its monthly showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The actor who played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the campy 1975 cult classic had died days earlier, making the screening a poignant one for fans.
“It’s time to pay our respects,” said Stefania Wheelhouse. “He lived his life as a rock star and icon, and he’s done so much. But he always embraced how much everybody loved him as Frank-N-Furter, and I think that love was reciprocal.”
A memorial to actor Tim Curry featuring fan messages was at the Mayfair Theatre in Old Ottawa South on Aug. 28. (Jenna Legge/CBC News)
Wheelhouse is the director of an upcoming production of The Rocky Horror Show at the Gladstone Theatre in October and was at Friday’s screening with her cast. As long-time fans of the show, Curry’s death made it important for them to attend, she said.
Cast member Euan Wheaton said they had already planned to go as a bonding experience, then “when the horrible news came, it was like, ‘Oh, well, we definitely have to come now.'”
The cast of the upcoming production of The Rocky Horror Show at the Gladstone Theatre in October attended the showing at the Mayfair Aug. 28. (Jenna Legge/CBC News)
Moviegoer Rae Dubois said Curry will be remembered as a horror icon.
“He puts so much of himself into every role he does. He makes it so uniquely his.”
LISTEN | Remembering Tim Curry:
13:58Remembering Tim Curry
Local actor Sam Kellerman, who has been part of the Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow cast at Mayfair Theatre screenings of the movie, explains why Tim Curry has been such an influential and inspiring actor.
Curry played memorable villains, including the clown Pennywise in the 1990 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It, and Rooster Hannigan in the 1982 movie Annie.
In addition to the life-long fans, the theatre also welcomed some who had never seen the film.
“I saw that it was playing and thought it was a perfect opportunity,” said Dahlia Lloyd-Kohls.
“He had a really big impact on the queer community.”
Dahlia Lloyd-Kohls was also one of many who took the time to contribute to the Tim Curry memorial on the sidewalk outside Ottawa’s Mayfair Theatre (Jenna Legge/CBC News)
Ahead of the screening Lloyd-Kohls contributed to the sidewalk memorial to Curry, chalking a Dr. Frank-N-Furter line: “Don’t dream it, be it.”
The quote has become synonymous with Curry and his legacy. It is a message Sam Kellerman wanted people to take away from the show.
“Embrace who you are, no matter what that means to you. It’s all about love. It’s all about community,” he said.
Kellerman is the founder and director of the Mayfair’s shadow cast, which acts out the film’s story alongside screenings.
Audience participation — featuring confetti, toilet paper and water pistols — has become part of the The Rocky Horror Picture Show experience, and something the Mayfair has embraced during the 15 years it has run regular screenings.
Mayfair Theatre regular’s screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show have been a long-standing tradition for the past 15 years. (Petr Maur Photography/Facebook)
Friday would be no exception, Kellerman said.
“It’s a little harder, of course, our very first show without Tim being part of this world,” he told CBC ahead of the show. “We are going to honour him with this long lasting tradition as best as we can and maybe we’ll throw an extra roll of toilet paper for him.”
The show also incorporated Curry into one of its regular gags that takes place when a coffin shows up on screen.
“When the coffin clock opens, we always yell the most recent dead celebrity. […] So, of course, we will be honouring Tim,” said Chris Jennings, who has been performing in the cast in a variety of roles since 2011.
“I think he would love that.”