Telluride Theatre & Palm Theatre: “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” 10/27

20 Oct Telluride Theatre & Palm Theatre: “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” 10/27

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” movie with LIVE theatrics by Telluride Theatre is a fundraiser for Telluride Theatre and The Palm Theatre. The happening takes place on Friday, October 27, 9 p.m. at The Palm. Tickets are $20 now or $25 at the door for GA; $150 for a VIP tables that seats four. Buy tickets here or call 970-369-5669. Cash bar with beer, wine and other awesome drinks, plus a movie concession. Costumes are highly encouraged. Rated R. After-party at The Liberty. FREE entry with your Rocky Horror ticket. For further information, call Sasha Sullivan at 970-708-3934.

Check out TIO contributor Emily Shoff’s “Virgin’s Guide to Rocky Horror Picture Show” here.

Scroll down to watch the trailer to the movie.

The book is ludicrous. A young couple stumbles into a castle inhabited by weirdos from the planet Transylvania including Dr. Frank N. Furter, a transvestite Frankenstein in rhinestone heels. The music of this sci-fi satire is unforgettable. Tunes such as “Time Warp,” “Dammit Janet,” “Toucha Toucha Touch Me,” “Over at Frankenstein’s Place,” “Sweet Transvestite” are addictive.

Beware – or be in tune.

Like many cult classics, “Rocky Horror Show” is clearly anything but mainstream. In fact, it is the mother of twisted entertainment, a sexual anthology set to song and dance, written for the stage by Jim Sharman. (The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O-Brien.)

The musical, which first opened on the London stage in 1973, was hailed by prominent British critics as the “The Best Musical of 1973.”

(No big surprise. Brits are notoriously kinky.)

However, when the movie was released in September 1975, it tanked, despite a star-studded cast including Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Meatloaf and many more. But one short year later, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was playing to packed houses at midnight shows across the country and around the world. Audiences dressed up like the characters, acted out segments, yelled rude comments to the stage or screen, threw rice at the wedding, put newspapers over their heads against the rain.

For “Horror” virgins, The “Rocky Horror Show” moves through celluloid darkly. The movie is an homage to cheesy 1950s B-flicks. Think Ed Wood on a bad hair day. Now set it to music. “Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire.”( And hit the anatomical reference hard.)

This marvelous musical spoof urges you to “Give yourself over to absolute pleasure.”

And why not?….

“Rocky Horror” is a great warm up for Halloween. (Therefore, costumes are highly encouraged. And that’s traditional.).

Sooo… Several incarnations (and now 40+ years later), folks, many much older now, still tramp back into theaters, wearing rain gear and armed with stale pieces of toast and water pistols. Follow the crowd on Friday, October 27, when Telluride Theatre brings it all back, this time to the Palm Theatre for one night only.

“Our ROCKY HORROR is BACK! We took a two-year hiatus and are so excited to bring this totally weird, wild event back to Telluride. ‘Rocky Horror’ is a wild night not to be missed. We have so much fun putting on this show,” explains Sasha Sullivan, artistic director, Telluride Theatre and event director. “And this year we have a lot of new faces performing. Its a big party.  Come, get dressed, have some drinks and be raucous! We encourage a lively, loud and wild audience. In the long tradition of this B-movie, Telluride Theatre creates a shadow-cast while the film plays. With costumes, lights, dancing and much more.”

Sullivan continues, “We really try to come at this with our theatrical expertise and make it a feast for the senses for the audience. It is an immersive evening and experience, one like you likely have never had seen before. The Palm Theatre is the perfect venue because while the movie plays on their huge screen, we have a ton of extra space to do the re-creation. And we encourage the audience to fully participate – saying lines, yelling at the screen, throwing rice… we want the full ‘Rocky Horror’ awesomeness and then some.” 

Once again, it is important to remember there are times during the film when the audience sprays water, throws playing cards, throws rice… It is all part of the interactive nature of the shadow cast.  If you are an experienced Rocky viewer come prepared. If you have never been to a “Rocky Horror Picture Show” movie with LIVE cast, you are in for a treat and are totally covered. For a small fee, you can purchase everything you need at the Palm, plus easy-to-follow instructions that cover when to do/say/throw. (The experience is way better with props and costumes.)

To get in the mood for ludicrous and lewd, watch this trailer:

https://youtu.be/Pgx1QZFNMz8