Over the years, I've gotten to where I enjoy Rocky Horror more than I used to. That's not to say I love it - it's too long by at least 30-40 minutes (I think I get bored at the exact same point in the film - after the dinner scene - every time), it's pretty incoherent, and it's not really all that interesting in big chunks. At the same time, I can't deny that the music is all pretty great, and the performances are a lot of fun, especially Tim Curry, who really is giving the role his all, and making it all a blast as a result. What was more interesting about this viewing, though, was the reaction to it all. As usual, I saw this accompanied by a live cast, with my friend Ryan doing the MC work. But the showing was at a university theater, and the crowd was at least 90% newcomers to Rocky Horror. And as the crew went through their lines and responses, what was fascinating to watch was the audience's discomfort - not with the film, but with the lines. So much of the ritual about the show orbits around the sexual dynamics at play, and it's all done with affection and love towards the source - but thanks to the changes in language and social dynamics, much of it's now perceived as homophobic or hateful. I don't really think that's the case - while the audience responses have always been drenched in snark, there's always been a lot of love and appreciation for the show and its gender-bending. But for a college audience who's never seen the show, the reaction was fascinatingly muted. Maybe it was a lack of familiarity; maybe it was offense at the play; maybe it was boredom. But it was a strange Rocky Horror screening, and one that kind of made me sad, if I'm being honest; as much as I'm not the biggest fan of the show, it's such a cinematic tradition at this point that I hate to see signs of it dying out.
- Josh Mauthe
- Josh Mauthe
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