By Adam Buhck
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Stilettos, fishnets, black underwear with garter, and a front-lace corset. The outfit would be striking on anyone. On a 5-9 man with red lips and darkly drawn eyebrows over heavily shadowed lids, even more so.Dr. Frank N Furter has arrived. But don’t worry, he’s just a sweet transvestite from transexual Translyvania.
For the 40th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, starring Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N Furter, the Englert Theater, 221 E. Washington St., will expand its annual showing to two nights. Shows will take place at 11:50 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
When *Rocky Horror* entered theaters, it was met with significantly less enthusiasm than it enjoys today. Critics called it tasteless, others called it pointless, but there was a certain charm to the film that led to it becoming a cult classic.
“It celebrates everyone — the weirdest of the weird, the strangest of the strange. The Rocky Horror Picture Show does not care where you came from,” said Dennis Lambing, a cofounder of Comics in Action, the improv comedy troupe responsible for the live-action portions of the *Rocky Horror* screenings at the Englert.
Comics in Action has hosted screenings ofRocky Horrorat the Englert since 2008, and Lambing said, troupe members have tried to add a little more to the production value each year, whether it’s a new cast member or a new dance routine. This year’s addition will remain a secret until show time.
For the uninitiated, the show consists of much more than just a movie. Comics in Action strives to make the experience of seeing the film at the Englert as interactive and entertaining as possible. While it plays on the big screen, the members will be on stage dressed as the movie’s major characters singing and acting along. The audience is also invited to participate; upon entering the theater, everyone will receive a prop bag containing, among other things, a piece of toast, a rubber medical glove, and a lot of confetti to be thrown at particular points in the show.
UI senior Mirza Besic said he has seenRocky Horror at the Englert every year since he started at the university.
“The first time I went, it was all because I was curious,” Besic said. “I had kind of heard about it around campus, and I had heard that the film had this sort of cult following, which made it sound really interesting. I ended up having a lot of fun.”
While he admits that the weirder elements of the movie and its fans might not be for everyone, he still recommends people give it a chance.
“It’s just a fun environment,” he said. “The movie is interesting, the songs are pretty catchy, and it’s just interesting how into it everyone gets.”
The tradition of live performances accompanying showings of Rocky Horror was born in the early stages of its transition from box-office flop to cult classic. In 1976, the film got a relaunch at the Waverly Theater in New York City, where it was frequently shown as a midnight movie. Over time, audiences started talking back to the movie and showing up in costume. This eventually developed into organized groups of actors shadowing the film as it played above them.
After seeing a *Rocky Horror* performance in Nashville a few years ago, UI senior Ben Hansen said he’s not surprised it had success as a cult movie.
“I think it had a lot of themes that traditional audiences might have seen as a little too racy, which kind of kept it from being commercially successful when it first came out,” he said. “But I think over time, people start to see it in a different way, and it’s definitely a unique experience.”
FILM
What: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
When: 11:50 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Where: Englert, 221 E. Washington
Admission:Tickets $16 advance/$20 day of show