The Oct. 18 event at the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit with actors Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn isn’t the only way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
So come on up to the lab and see what’s on the slab.
The Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society, a live performance group dedicated to the preservation of audience participation of “Rocky Horror,” hosts screenings of the 1975 cult classic twice a month in Wayne.
There will also be “The Rocky Horror Show Live” at the Redford in Detroit the weekend of Nov. 7-8.
“Our cast isn’t affiliated with the performance at the Redford, but we are all very excited to go see that cast! It’s not that often that the live musical is produced around (metro Detroit), so it’s a treat to go see,” said Isabella Levitt of Bingham Farms.
Levitt, an alumna of Groves High School in Birmingham and Oakland University, has been a member of the MiRHPS since 2021. She’s portrayed Janet onstage, among other characters.
“The mission of MiRHPS is to create a safe and productive space for folks to indulge in their passion and participate in keeping a queer legacy of 50 years alive,” she said. “Between hearing about the movie for the first time and attending a screening, I showed the movie to as many people as I could and became fascinated by its place in queer culture. I attended my first show and continued to be an audience member until I was 21, when I joined MiRHPS.”
At first, Levitt was adamant she wouldn’t get onstage. She was fine helping behind the scenes. However, an emergency arose, and she stepped in to play Janet at the last minute.
“The rest is history, but that moment did change my life in so many ways,” Levitt said. “Shadow-casting is just so much fun! (Actor) Sal Piro started the shadow-casting tradition shortly after the film was released, and the ability to jump onstage and transform into someone else, to express yourself entirely freely in an accepting space is something that will always be needed, especially in the queer community. For many shadow-casters, it isn’t even about the movie anymore. As much as I love the movie, I continue to come back because of the love I have for preserving queer culture and the love I have for my chosen family.”
She’s looking forward to performing with her fellow MiRHPS members when Bostwick, Campbell and Quinn come to Detroit.
“We’ve performed with Barry and Pat in the past,” Levitt said. “We will have the pleasure of meeting them before the show, as well.”
Created by Richard O’Brien, “Rocky Horror” began as a musical in 1973, spoofing low-budget science-fiction and B-horror movies. Bostwick, Susan Sarandon and Tim Curry starred in the movie. Curry played mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the role he originated onstage and the franchise’s most popular character.
“There’s not a lot of words to describe Curry’s performance other than iconic,” Levitt said. “His voice and presence on the screen make it difficult to look at anyone or anything else. He captures your attention and never lets go. It never gets old to watch.”
Anthony Stewart Head, alias Rupert Giles on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” portrayed Frank-N-Furter onstage in the 1990 West End revival. He saw the stage version when it debuted in 1973 at the King’s Road Theatre in London, calling Curry’s performance a “real game-changer.” Yet Head made the role his own.
“I felt Frank-N-Furter growing inside of me, his voice in my head – different from everyone else who’d played him. It was quite bizarre. I felt truly connected to him,” recalled Head. “When (designer) Sue Blane and I talked about how I wanted to look, I said I’d always thought of having high heels than the platform shoes that he normally wore because I wanted to be very active. The platforms were very fashionable in the 1970s … but I felt they were a bit clunky for me. I also changed the hospital gown he appears in when he unleashes Rocky; there’s a bunch of classic B-horror pic references, which I thought might be enhanced by being dressed as a 1940s nurse. I also thought about wearing a wig because my hair was short … but would that fit, being wigged up? Then I suddenly thought of him actually wearing one himself and removing it in his apparently emotional moment when he sings, ‘I’m Going Home.’”
One of the most flattering things to happen to Head was when two friends saw his performance and didn’t realize it was him onstage until 20 minutes into the show.
“Once they had, they couldn’t believe I could be so unpleasant,” he said. “Watching the show online … takes my breath away at how I legged it around and all over the stage. I had memories of being active, but seeing it manifest itself in reality leaves me speechless. I couldn’t do it now. I think I’d rather leave it out there in people’s minds – very glad to.”
Head spoke about if Giles and Frank-N-Furter were to meet.
“First, would he be attracted to him? Maybe not, but Frank-N-Furter might find a way to deceive him. I wonder if they would stretch back to when Giles was Ripper (his dark side). I definitely think he’d like him, but wouldn’t trust him. Maybe he’d think he was a sexy, songful demon,” offered Head. “I’ve been so lucky to have been part of so many iconic shows, the last being ‘Ted Lasso.’ They live in my heart, and I do not take any of it for granted. I grew both Giles and Frank-N-Furter from within me. I sensed them there and ultimately let them be heard. It’s wonderful to be a part of two shows that people have told me changed their lives.”
Both Head and Bostwick offered their advice to actors performing “Rocky Horror” onstage.
“Do what Chris Malcolm (the original Brad) advised me to do in response to audience heckles: Write down a bunch of responses. I gathered a bunch of one-liners from all sorts of places, (including) a few from Rhea Perlman on ‘Cheers,’” Head said.
“They have to be grounded in reality with the characters. It’s not a comic book. That’s the mistake they make; they go out there and put a joke on top of a joke,” explained Bostwick. “It’s not as much fun if these people aren’t serious about who they are and where they are, even though the setting is absurd, their characters are not absurd.”
If you go
The Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society hosts “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with a live cast on the second and fourth Saturday of each month at Phoenix State Wayne Theater, 35310 W. Michigan Ave., Wayne. Doors open at 11:15 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and $5 for a bag of props. No outside props allowed. Viewer discretion is advised. For questions or more information, contact michiganrhps@gmail.com.
“The Rocky Horror Show Live” will be at the Redford Theatre, 17360 Lahser Road, Detroit, at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 and 3 and 8 p.m. Nov. 8. Tickets cost $25, which includes a bag of props. No outside props allowed. Viewer discretion is advised. For questions or more information, contact 313-537-2560 or visit redfordtheatre.com.