Don’t Dream It. Be It.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show comes to the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, with special guest Barry Bostwick.

October 1st, 2022

Last night at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, audience members took a solemn oath “to strike a blow for glamor and frivolity, for six-inch heels, for interplanetary intercourse, and for the Transylvanian Way”.

Glamor and frivolity ensued as the opulent and enigmatic story of The Rocky Horror Picture Show unraveled on screen, accompanied by a live shadow cast, which reenacted the film as it played.

Barry Bostwick, who portrayed Brad Majors in the original film, has been touring with the show for its 47th anniversary. He opened the film with a touching and humorous speech attesting to the movie’s lasting impact and appeal. The crowd, a mixture of young and old, reflected this point. Bostwick, whose Rocky Horror character has been dubbed “asshole” by fans, discussed his nickname jokingly and played along with fans who shouted out the moniker.

Equally as interactive as the fans were the staff members at the Cultural Center, who had seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the show. As the film played, employees, working both among the audience and backstage, shared in the fun. One man in particular, who stood in the audience, shouted out every “heckling” line in sync with a select few veteran Rocky Horror fans in the crowd.

The show, however, was not just for knowledgeable fans of Rocky Horror. The prop bags, which cost five dollars, have guides attached for less experienced audience members that dictate when to use each prop. This allows for synchronized toast-tossings and glove-snappings throughout the performance, a staple of the Rocky Horror Picture Show experience.

The cast, like the committed fans, did not miss a beat, as they followed the motions and dialogue of the characters over the course of the 98-minute run-time. They faced the audience for the entirety of the show, rarely having to reference the screen behind them for guidance and mouthed the lyrics to every song impeccably.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is, at its core, a story of liberation and acceptance. Audience members are encouraged to leave their dignity at the door as they enter the theater, allowing for a freeing environment for both new and returning fans of Rocky Horror. In the darkness of the theater, as the audience chants the mantra “Don’t Dream It. Be it,” you are left with the feeling that you are a part of something bigger than yourself, a feeling that persists even after the movie concludes.