Central Florida is joining the global 50th anniversary celebration of the cult classic film, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
The campy 1975 musical tribute to 1960s sci-fi and b-movies stars Susan Sarandon as the squeaky-clean heroine Janet and Tim Curry as the cross-dressing alien Dr. Frank-n-Furter, alongside a cast of equally quirky characters (including Mount Dora’s own Barry Bostwick as Janet’s even squeakier fiancé, Brad) that somehow spawned a unique theatrical subculture.
Audiences still show up in costume for midnight showings to sing the songs, shout coordinated lines back to the screen, and do the “Time Warp” again…as live actors mime along to the movie. That’s called a “shadow cast.” Orlando has several shadow cast companies, including a long-running one called the “Rich Weirdoes,” named for a reference in the movie.
Orlando performer and producer Jaimz Dillman has devised a unique Orlando tribute to Rocky Horror’s 50th – a cabaret-style show called The Rocky Horror Live Band Cabaret. It takes place at The Dust, formerly Stardust Lounge, in downtown Orlando.
Four live singers, Dillman among them, will perform the show’s music with a three-piece band that includes her 24-year-old son, Xander, who first came up with this premise, Dillman noted. Audiences are encouraged to come in costume, in a nod to the overlap of Rocky Horror and Halloween culture. There will also be discussions about the movie’s influence on the performers, and its general staying power.
Peel back the layers of Rocky Horror’s absurdity and campiness, and you may find a surprisingly profound message behind the movie’s mayhem, said Dillman.
She pointed out that along with the movie’s best-known songs like the party tune “Time Warp” and the bombastic “Sweet Transvestite,” there’s also a more thoughtful song called, “Don’t Dream It, Be It.”
Dillman said that song is a kind of permission structure for self-expression. “Instead of living in the world in your head, make that world your reality. And don't be apologetic for it. Be your true self.”
It’s a message that still resonates fifty years later, she said.
“You know, there's all sorts of things being touched on [in the movie] that were taboo at that time, and strangely enough, 50 years later, we're still struggling with allowing people to use their labels as they see fit and not be condemned by them,” Dillman said. “I think that also has a lot to do with its staying power, because it's still relevant.”
