Writer: Avner Shiloah
Director: Linus O’Brien
There are a number of 50th anniversaries on the horizon- The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester and the National Theatre on the South Bank – perhaps the most unexpected celebration is for The Rocky Horror Show. Director Linus O’Brien’s documentary demonstrates that the evolution of the stage musical, written by his father Richard O’Brien, from fringe to mainstream theatre to film and fan phenomenon has indeed been a strange journey.
The documentary roughly divides into thirds for each part of the process- stage, film and fan reaction. Director O’Brien’s relationship with the show’s author ensures access to pretty much everyone involved with the musical including stroke survivor Tim Curry and Peter Hinwood, who played Rocky and retired from acting in the 1970s.It takes a while to adjust to the posh accents of some contributors who played punkish characters in the film, although Curry recalls how he started Dr. Frank-N-Furter with a Germanic accent before a revelation resulted in the clipped aristocratic tones.
The dry ‘talking heads’ format is avoided with a wealth of footage (newsreel, home movies) illustrating points made during the interviews. Richard O’Brien even contributes the occasional acoustic version of the songs to demonstrate how they might have sounded during auditions (‘’You didn’t play it that fast during the audition’’ prompts the response ‘’Well, I’ve got a bus to catch’’).
By now Richard O’Brien must be so accustomed to being asked about The Rocky Horror Show one could not blame him for becoming blasé and offering standard responses. Yet director Linus O’Brien manages to achieve the occasion surprise demonstrating his father’s affection for the B-movie horror film format by discovering handwritten school essays and showing him the moving online response of fans to the redemptive ballad at the end of the show.
Richard O’Brien’s modest and affectionate approach sets the atmosphere for the documentary. All interviewees speak fondly of their experiences. The staging of the original show is recalled as turning adversity into success. Director Jim Sharman was an early champion of the musical and ensured its staging at the Royal Court Theatre by agreeing to direct another show as well. The concept of having a cinema screen as a background came about simply because the original stage set was so small. Even the minuscule film budget turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it ensured most of the original stage cast transferred into the film so star casting (Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Lou Reed are mentioned as possible replacements for Tim Curry) did not occur and even the insertion of a pair of Americans into the established cast worked as they appeared as genuine strangers in a strange land.
The failure of the stage show on Broadway is attributed to New York critics looking down on a show critically acclaimed in LA. The movie flopping is harder for interviewees to understand, although there is the perceptive comment that rather than the film finding an audience the reverse occurred and an audience found the film. The producers decided to promote the movie by way of midnight screenings but were unprepared for Rocky Horror developing beyond a film into a cultural event.
Audience participation is a vital part of the process; starting with ribald cat-calls mocking parts of the movie to bringing props ( water pistols, newspapers) and dressing in costumes. The full impact of the film upon the audience is, however, reflected in the development of a ‘shadow cast’ who take literally the song lyric ‘’Don’t dream it, be it’’ and, in full costume, mirror the actions of the cast while the film is showing. It takes the movie back to its original theatrical roots, a merging of spontaneous live theatre and cinema. Actor Jack Black is interviewed and confirms at screenings it is more enjoyable to watch the audience than the film.
The wider social impact of Rocky Horror is addressed in the closing part of the documentary. Borrowing from the film to build a professional personality is acknowledged- drag artist and musician Trixie Mattel used the character of’ The Usherette’ as inspiration for their drag persona. Other stories are more personal and even harrowing, an abuse survivor/sex worker perceived the midnight screenings as a safe place where they were free from judgement and part of a community. Author Richard O’Brien claims to be “70% male and 30% female” so must be chuffed to see how his work is now perceived as a celebration of identity as much as a musical tribute to dodgy B movies.
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror is a celebration of the struggles of all involved to develop the show and their bemused response to how audiences have taken over and transformed a relatively modest musical into a community of outsiders. Oh, and the songs are great.
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror will be in UK & Irish Cinemas from 3rd October, and on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital 20th October.
