Rocky Horror brings burlesque to campus

Brooke Skinner Guest Writer

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is not so much a movie as it is an experience. With a “plot” focusing on two prudish, small town sweethearts Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) who are forced to explore their sexualities, most can probably only give the movie enough credit to say that it’s creative. But what people like about The Rocky Horror Picture Show is that this low budget film turned cult classic allows everyone to get together and just have a good time.

Contrary to its name, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is no horror story. There are space invaders, small town folk, a college professor, Meat Loaf, and yes, a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania. Performed annually by the Nonhuman Students Organization here at Vassar, the film is set running on a projector while actors perform it on the stage of Sanders Auditorium. Director Erica Kudisch ’06 and Assistant Director Dante Buccieri ’07 have put a lot of work into getting the actors prepared to follow exactly what is happening on the screen and provide a much more interactive experience. The actors can expect to cater to a full house for all four on-campus showings.

Never having attended a Rocky showing before college, Buccieri recalls trying out for the play his freshman year: “They got to Sweet Transvestite and I thought ‘What the hell is going on here?’” He ended up landing the part of Eddie, the motorcycle-riding nephew of Dr. Scott, played by Meat Loaf in the film. He invited his parents to see the performance, but they left “scarred beyond belief.”

Kudisch believes that what attracts people to The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the first place are the callbacks. Callbacks are phrases shouted during the movie upon certain cues. Every state or place has its own specific set of callbacks that are usually central to the area where the film is being shown. Kudisch says “[Rocky Horror] is just that bad that you can shout at it, and that makes it better, and it’s fascinating.”

But the reason Buccieri thinks people attend the film is because it’s so much fun to have the opportunity to scream and shout and act differently than you normally would elsewhere. As he puts it, “If you want plot, go anywhere else but Rocky. Rocky is just a bunch of people who like to get together and have a good time.” If you have never had the pleasure of attending a Rocky Horror performance and plan on going to Vassar’s this year, there are several things you should be aware of: you will have more fun if you leave your comfort zone; you will go as scantily clad as possible; you will dance the “Time Warp,” you will hear people shouting during the performance (just go along with it); and most of all, you will have a good time.