A+E INSIDE: < CELEBRATE OKTOBERFEST: It’s time to raise your steins and dig into some fine German fare. 6
WHO WAS SHAKESPEARE?: Actor and author Ron Destro ponders The Bard’s true identity in his latest book. 8 >
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT OCTOBER 12, 2023
YOUROBSERVER.COM
A shadow cast helped the audience at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall do the “Time Warp” once again Sept. 30 as the original “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” starring Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, screened in the background. Courtesy images
LET’S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN! Why ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ refuses to die. MARTY FUGATE
IF YOU GO
CONTRIBUTOR
W
When: Oct. 19-31 Tickets: $27; $50 for Halloween Where: Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton Info: Call 748-5875 or visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter.com.
elcome back my friends to the show
that never ends. Richard O’Brien’s “The Rocky Horror Show” just won’t die. Born
cial called “The Rocky Horror Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again.” Who knew its hit song would prove so prescient? In our area, Venice Theatre has produced “Rocky Horror” multiple times. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall recently brought it to life with a touring production starring Barry Bostwick, the original Brad in the movie. The Manatee Players will revive it again this month — just in time for Halloween. Decade after decade, this musical cheats death. So what keeps “Rocky Horror” alive and kicking? What’s the big secret?
as a fringe musical in 1973, it was brought back to life on the silver screen as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in 1975. The tale of two repressed sweethearts (Brad and Janet) who stumble into the crazy castle of a mad, crossdressing scientist has been staged and screened ever since. A younger generation learned about the film from a 2016 two-hour FOX TV spe-
The Venice Theatre presented “The Rocky Horror Show” in 2017.
SEE SHOW, PAGE 2