The campy, vampy Rocky Horror Picture Show struts its fishnet stockinged self across the stage at the Zach Scott Theater starting October 5th. The production, once named Best Musical in Austin, will run for slightly over a month. An acquaintance of mine is playing Rocky, so you know I'm buying a ticket. Besides knowing one of the cast, this musical is one of my favorites.
There is something so sexy about a man in a black lace teddy, fishnets and high heels. I never cared that Dr. Frank N. Furter was playing God and trying to create his perfect partner. I longed for someone to nickname me after a color or a country. I wanted to drip candle wax down a chained man's back!
The first time I saw RHPS was in college, during a time in my life when I was searching for my own sexual identity. To see bisexuality trumpeted across the silver screen was shocking, but in a good way. It was an over-the-top, silly and sassy musical with a fun plot ripping off both Mary Shelley and cheap Sci Fi movies. A light hearted frolic with a sinister edge (remember Eddie?) and a Time Warp dance. Watching the movie and sneaking glances at the theater patrons around me, gleefully into the audience participation, I had a refining moment. I finally felt at home with myself. After all, if the movie kept selling out night after night, then people really wouldn't fault me for my own proclivities, right?
As you can imagine, I learned the hard way that even though the movie was an instant cult classic, there would still be gay bashing incidents in my young adult years of the 80's and 90's. And a cheesy but fun movie with outlandish characters is no marker for the reality of life, but for that minute in time in the theater, when I held my girlfriend's hand in public for the very first time, it was glorious.
I can't promise angels trumpeting revelations in the sky, but won't you come see Rocky with me?
1 comment:
dtkvnyou know I am sooo there. I spent my highschool years at the RHPS every weekend at Midnight. I was so lucky to live grow up in the Montrose area of Houston. It made me what I am today and I never knew how taboo it was to be gay until I was older since that is what I grew up around.
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