The lights of the theater go down. Thunderous screams launch into the air. A chant begins: “give us lips, give us lips, give us lips.” And finally, the music. “Michael Rennie was ill/The Day the Earth Stood Still/But he told us where we stand; And Flash Gordon was there/In silver underwear/Claude Rains was The Invisible Man; Then something went wrong/For Fay Wray and King Kong/They got caught in a celluloid jam; Then at a deadly pace/It Came From Outer Space/And this is how the message ran…”

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has been a cult classic since it’s release in 1975. With songs such as “Dammit Janet,” “Hot Patootie–Bless My Soul” and the ever popular “The Time Warp,” it’s no wonder why the catchy tunes get stuck in many heads no matter how odd the film is. With a cast starring Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon among others, this movie packs a punch to the psyche of many bystanders. With an obscure plot and many characters causing shenanigans, it’s one of those stories that leaves viewers questioning everything.

There are many different ways to view this cultural phenomena; you can watch the movie by itself, go see it as a theater show or go to an event where they play the movie while a live casts “acts” out the story in front of the screen. This form of art is called Shadow Casting, and it is probably the most popular way to watch “Rocky Horror.” Decatur’s very own Avon theater puts on “Rocky Horror” in conjunction with students mainly in Millikin’s School of Theater & Dance. The event usually has a high turnout, and this year was no different.

I arrived with my friend close to midnight, and it was quite difficult to find seats. The energy from the crowd was pulsating throughout the room, building up anticipation. It was my friend’s first time watching “Rocky Horror,” so I was beyond excited to show her what it’s all about. After all, “It’s just a jump to the left/and then a step to the right; Put your hands on your hips/and bring your knees in tight; and it’s the pelvic thrust/that really drives you insane; Let’s do the Time Warp again.”

Though I don’t particularly enjoy watching the Shadow Cast version, I believe that Millikin once again did a fantastic job with the performance. However, I don’t think the same of Fox’s televised performance. I didn’t get a chance to watch the whole thing, but what I did see was upsetting. While I love Laverne Cox dearly, her performance was less than stellar. I was able to watch the film from when the quartet became unfrozen to the end. As each character sang their solo, a sense of dread started to fill me. My fears were confirmed once Cox entered, and it went downhill as the show continued.

Maybe I haven’t given it a fair chance, seeing as how I wasn’t able to view the entire show. However, I have a feeling it still won’t live up to the expectation I had before I saw the catastrophe that was the end of Fox’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Who knows, maybe there’s someone who likes it out there.