By Gisselle Hernandez, Features Editor
Men in fishnets, women stripped down to their underwear and a lot of makeup are key ingredients for the annual Rocky Horror Picture Show that was held on Monday at the Curris Center Ballroom.
Based on the 1975 comedic musical by Jim Sharman where a newly-engaged couple stumble upon a mad scientist’s mansion, The Rocky Horror Picture Show movie was blown up on the big screen on Halloween night as student actors from the Sock and Buskin theatre organization shadowed the show onstage. The audience, full-clad in Halloween costumes, yelled and threw things at the cast like toilet paper, rice and vulgarities – an endearing custom that happens at every Rocky Horror show.
Ania Diallo, freshman from Louisville, Kentucky, and Chelsea Costello, freshman from Elton, Kentucky, were “Rocky virgins” – a term for those who had never seen the show before. Their labels were marked on their foreheads: a giant “V” in lipstick. Both said the show was not what they were expecting it to be.
“I knew it was inappropriate because I had heard of it and I’ve seen pictures but never seen the movie,” Diallo said. “I don’t know if it was the commentary of the guy in the back, but I mean we could’ve done without it because I never really got to understand the actual movie because people kept talking.”
Costello said she plans for dressing up for the next one, and both students said they will come back for the duration they are at Murray State. They said they liked the cast, especially “Rocky,” who was played by Zachary Ryne.
Collin Mayes, senior from Henderson, Kentucky, and who played the lead, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, said even though he was stage manager for the show before, this was his first time actually performing in the show.
“I don’t know why [I decided to perform],” he said. “It seemed like fun to grind on people.”
He said the first time he saw it was about five years ago in his hometown and he didn’t know how to initially react.
“It was more the audience interaction that I didn’t know how to deal with it during the show because I knew the movie already so I was kind of like ‘Oh, they’re screaming, what is happening, I hope they never do that to me,’ and now here I am,” Mayes said.
There were almost 600 people in attendance, most of them well-versed in the Rocky culture, hollering, dancing and screaming at the screen. Laughter followed the cast members whenever they filtered through the audience, one even pulling certain people out of the crowd to dance with them.
Mayes said he isn’t sure if he will perform again next year since rehearsals last about a month, acting out a different scene each night.
“The hardest thing was trying to line it up with the movie, since actually learning the lines weren’t too bad,” he said.
Many audience members cheered for the more sexual parts of the movie, but Mayes said his favorite part was the big reveal for his character.
“I get to rip off my cloak and let everybody know who I am what I’m all about,” he said.
Photos by Jenny Rohl/The News