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| Cast of the Rocky Horror Show. |
Imagine being stuck in the same house as the two old but likable biddies in Frank Capra's 1944 "Arsenic and Old Lace." Not so bad if you're a woman, or Cary Grant. At one point in the film, in which the women kill elderly bachelors with poison-laced elderberry wine, Grant famously says, "This is developing into a very bad habit."
Maybe Elton John's "Elderberry Wine" song had metaphorical depth. Regardless, quaffing it from two murderers might not be such a good idea.
Rocky, what have you done?
In the wrong-place, wrong-time vein, perhaps a thunderstorm strands you in the middle of nowhere and your names are Janet and Brad. Perhaps you've passed a mansion some miles back after a tire has blown on your car. There is no cell phone reception, and the niceties of society appear unattainable without a 2-mile hike back to that spooky mansion.
Of course, the next step is doing the Time Warp ... again.
Things could be worse. Definitely. My wife took me to the live production of the obscurely aforementioned play in Fresno's Tower District. And it was mind-blowing. Like a lot of my generation, I saw the Tim Curry movie version of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in theaters. It was one of those midnight events in Anchorage when the outdoor temperatures made doing anything inside preferable to sitting in a frozen car.
I loved it. At the time, the concept provided a natural segue from my obsession with Kiss records.
The doctor is in
Daniel Chavez Jr. directs the Fresno version of the "Rocky Horror Show" at the California Arts Academy's Severance Theater in Fresno's artsy Tower District. He also choreographs, designs the costumes and plays the role of Frank-N-Furter. With the platform heels, he stands a head taller than most of the cast.
