“ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW” DELIGHTS AND SCARES FOR ANOTHER YEAR
With over two decades of history under its corset, the Lost Flamingo Theater Company’s annual production of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” returns for another jaw-dropping year
BY JACKSON MCCOY PHOTOS BY NATALIE YANG
As October heads into its last few days, the residents of Athens are all reminiscing on the city’s biggest month. Although many associate October in Athens with its massive Halloween weekend celebration, another highly anticipated event occurs every year around this time: Lost Flamingo Theater Company’s (LFC) production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
The show opened on Oct. 16 at The Union, located at 18 W. Union St., and ran until Oct. 19. LFC’s performance is a shadowcast production, meaning the original “Rocky Horror” film plays while the LFC actors move and act along with it.
The “Rocky Horror” film did poorly among critics upon its release in 1975 but gained a cult following shortly after. Its representation of queer identities and “camp” aesthetics made a lasting impression on audiences in the late ‘70s which lives on even now.
The shadowcast LFC employs for its show is rooted in the culture surrounding the film and its history. The production, since it first showed in Athens with LFC in the early 2000s, has used a shadowcast for its show.
“Since the movie came out in 1975 … it was ahead of its time,” Anna Martin, a sophomore studying hearing, speech and language sciences and the director of “Rocky Horror,” said. “Being able to honor that and do it for the 21st year here with The Union and with our company, to put that on and to show queerness, to [raise] awareness of those who are and who aren't, and let them be who they are and enjoy the show.”
A major part of “Rocky Horror” is the over-the-top wardrobes of the different characters. This fashion sense has spilled out into the movie’s fans, with audiences donning campy outfits mirroring the motifs found in the film.
“I know people that have their outfits picked out since last year after ‘Rocky’ just because it's always the corset style,” Martin said. “It is always black or it's red. It's very lingerie style. Everybody comes in whatever they're comfortable in. Everybody's complimenting each other and hyping each other up in their own sexualities in the crowd as well as on stage.”
The demand for actors in the show is high, with late-night rehearsals starting in early September. Charlie Lakus, a freshman studying English literature, found himself taking on the central role of Brad. His background in high school theater helped him prepare for the show, but he said he had never been a part of a show quite like “Rocky Horror.”
“This is kind of like a big step up from high school theater, where you have better directors, more experienced casts, and … it really puts you in that element,” Lakus said.
Despite the more intense involvement required for “Rocky Horror,” Lakus said he still finds happiness while working with his fellow actors.
“You get into that state where you've been busy all day, and you kind of just need to cool off and do something that's fun and that you enjoy doing,” Lakus said.
LFC and The Union have been business partners for “Rocky Horror” since its first show 21 years ago. Even now, Union staff lobby to be a part of the production. Maddie Quillen, the sound tech at The Union, has worked the “Rocky Horror” performances for three years now and doesn’t plan on stopping.
“There's a reason that I pick up ‘Rocky’ every single year or try to,” Quillen said. “‘Staff me on Rocky unless somebody else really specifically wants to do it,’ because it's just fun. It's a really good time and I just get to hang out and watch the lobby sometimes.”
For the performers and people behind the stage, “Rocky Horror” is more than just a student production. Alexis Butt, a junior studying marketing and business analytics and the assistant director, shared she has felt a connection to the show since before coming to Athens.
“Just being a part of it, and like, everyone in ‘Rocky’ is just so amazing,” Butt said. “We're all just honestly a family, and it's just really awesome.”
In Athens, “Rocky Horror” is one of the highlights of the year. This may seem like an added stressor for the people involved in making it possible, and it certainly can be; however, the performers push through the stage fright to deliver a truly thrilling show each night.
“This has been a tradition for years and years and years,” Lakus said. “There’s a lot of pressure, but it’s guaranteed we have a full house every night.”
