THE Rocky Horror Show is the brainchild of Brit, Richard O’Brien (now 72). An out-of-work actor, he began penning the rock musical on cold London winter nights to keep himself occupied.
• Borne out of the beginning of the punk rock era and the experimental theatre that defined the ’60s and the ’70s, O’Brien’s penchant for Marvel comics, science-fiction and horror films is also clearly evidenced in the piece.
• While on the surface of it, Rocky may seem little more than the result of a macabre mind, it’s actually a powerful commentary on sexual and cultural conservatism, as well as society’s rejection of anything “other”, juxtaposed against the backdrop of the so-called sexual revolution and the supposedly “live and let live” ethos of the ’70s flower power generation.
• It first opened in June 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre and subsequently moved to a number of other theatres throughout the UK, playing to packed audiences until the production closed in September 1980.
• Meanwhile, back in 1974, American record producer, Lou Adler, secured the US rights to Rocky after watching one of the London performances.
• It premiered at LA’s Roxy theatre in 1974 (with an all-American cast, except for Tim Curry, who continued to play the part of Frank-N-Furter).
• Following Adler’s invitation for them to see the play, executives from 20th Century Fox set about turning the musical into a movie. And so, filming on the newly named The Rocky Horror Picture Show began in October of that same year, with half of the original English cast members reprising their roles.
• Susan Sarandon (Janet) and Barry Bostwick (Brad) were brought on board, due to the studio’s directive that American actors also take on key roles.
• Prior to the film’s release, the production opened on Broadway to encourage interest in, and hype around, the upcoming movie. The Broadway run bombed. Badly. As did the film, which proved to be a box-office flop.
• But those behind the project refused to give up quite so easily. In 1976, the film was re-launched as what was then known as a Midnight Movie – which generally attracted more of the counter-culture crowd.
• It worked! The Rocky Horror Picture Show developed a cult following, particularly when audiences started participating in or playing out the scenes on screen, and went on to become one of the most well-known and financially successful Midnight Movies of all time.
• This in turn spurred a renewed interest in the theatrical production.
• Four decades on, the movie is still in limited release across the globe, making it the longest- running theatrical release in film history, while the play itself continues to enjoy remake, after remake, after remake…