Ava Mumaw, assist. arts & living editor
On the dates of Oct. 23 and 24, the Historic DeSoto Theater in downtown Rome hosted its annual showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Starting at 8 p.m., this event featured an extensive shadow cast who acted out the musical as the original film played on the wall above, as well as a prop kit given to audiences so they can interact with the production. A tradition at the DeSoto Theater since 2014, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” gives the Rome community an opportunity to come together and celebrate the cult classic film during the Halloween season.
The film revolves around a newly engaged couple — Janet Weiss and Brad Majors — as they seek refuge in a mysterious castle after their car breaks down. Here, they meet Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a cross-dressing scientist who creates his own “Frankenstein” named Rocky Horror. The rest of the musical follows the outlandish chaos that ensues as Janet and Brad try to escape the castle.
Actor Russell Evans is a part of the original “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” cast at the DeSoto Theater and has been playing the role of Brad Majors since 2014. The show was supposed to be a one-time showing in 2014 but was later made a yearly tradition in 2019.
“Someone had the idea of a 5-year anniversary [showing] from 2014, and we have done it every year since,” Evans said. “I’m super proud that it’s lasted this long.”
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” follows a plot that many people call unconventional. While the name suggests a more frightening tale, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has captured the interest of people from across the United States as they indulge in an over the top, unique experience. Although there is no particular message being portrayed in the film, it remains as one of the most iconic musicals today.
“The thing about it too is, it is silly fun,” Evans said. “It’s not like it has any particular kind of message. It’s just a creative ridiculous story.”
Despite the wild plot, Evans said that one thing that has made “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” such an important tradition to the Rome community is the inclusivity. There are very heavy LGBTQ+ themes present within the musical, creating a longstanding rule of keeping a judgement free zone in all productions of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” across the United States.
“What [‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’] means to me is it is a celebration of differences in a safe space, and it presents sexual identity in a fun way,” Evans said. “It was counter-cultural, and it’s becoming a fun mainstream thing to do, especially in the Halloween season.”
Another welcoming aspect of the production unique to the DeSoto Theater is that, since the production has been going on so long while maintaining the original cast, shadow cast members have a very close bond with one another. Evans said this close relationship with other production members not only creates a more meaningful experience for the cast, but for the audience as well since there is a sense of family adding to the welcoming environment.
“It’s a joy to be around my chosen family, if you will,” Evans said. “We have done [‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’] so long, you can tell how much we enjoy it, and for people to come and see and have fun with us and celebrate this crazy life is awesome.”
The show is so important to the original cast members that even those who live out of state make special arrangements to be in Rome to perform with people they consider family. Evans himself lives in Missouri now, but travels to Rome specifically for this production.
“Six months ago, I moved to St. Louis, so I came back just to do [‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’],” Evans said. “There is another [cast member] that lives in New York City that was in that was in the ensemble cast, and she flew back Wednesday night [before the show].”
Of the cast that still live in Rome, they hold a lot of ties to Berry College, so it can be especially fun for students to attend the production and see familiar faces from campus in a new environment where they are showcasing their artistic talents.
“[There are] a lot of Berry alum,” Evans said. “There are people that work at Berry, people that used to work at Berry. Nancy Dobbs, who plays Magenta [Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s maid], works in campus security and gives out IDs. The director, Amanda Hock, used to work there at one point, I believe in admissions.”
Sophomore S.J. Franklin saw “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Oct. 23 and mentioned how she recognized quite a few Berry-adjacent members of the cast.
“With Dobbs who works at Berry being in the show, I know her and I actually dressed up as [Dobbs’ character] and I got to take a photo with her and that was really cool,” Franklin said. “I think it’s super cool that like just you could be like, ‘Yeah, I go to Berry and one of my professors, or teachers or Berry people I know are in the show.’”
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a unique production because it is so interactive with its audience. Rather than simply sitting and enjoying the show, audience members can shout out jokes, nicknames for characters and cast members go out into the audience whilst performing.
Because it was Franklin’s first time attending a stage production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” she was surprised by how interactive it was.
“It was my first time seeing it live,” Franklin said. “With it being live, I was not expecting that people yell and stuff.”
While fun, the interactive aspect of the show can be overwhelming for newcomers. Especially because, before the show starts, there is a “virgin ceremony” where first time participants get a red “V” painted on their forehead, as well as the frequent shouting throughout the show.
“I enjoyed the cast, I think they did a perfect job playing their roles,” Franklin said. “In the audience, there were some ladies that were yelling a lot, a lot more than they needed to be, which was kind of annoying. I was trying to enjoy my first time seeing it, but I couldn’t because they were yelling every five seconds.”
Nonetheless, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the DeSoto Theater never fails to amaze its audience with the talented shadow cast, the engaging interactiveness, and friendly environment.
“I just really enjoyed it,” Franklin said. “I did feel really welcome, and a lot of the cast members were really playing into their character.”