Tim Curry's Frank-N-Furter lives on in KC
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Dr. Frank-N-Furter on the left; Annie Scott during rehearsal on the right. Photos: Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images; Abbey Higginbotham/Axios
Screenland Armour's shadow cast for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" will perform the way they have for more than a decade, except this time the show is a goodbye to the man who started it all.
The big picture: Tim Curry died Aug. 25 at 80, and his legacy was never just the movies. It's the communities that grew up around them, including this one.
Catch up quick: Curry's five-decade career ran from "Clue" to "It" to three Tony nominations, but Dr. Frank-N-Furter made him a legend.
- The role originated on a London stage in 1973 and was put on film in 1975.
- "Rocky Horror" flopped, but the next year it found its people as a New York theater drew regulars who shouted jokes at the screen and showed up in costume.
How it works: Just like other groups across the country, the KC shadow cast acts out the film in front of the screen while it plays, in screen-accurate costumes, mirroring every scene as the audience shouts callbacks and throws props on cue: rice for the wedding, toast for the toast.
- Screenland's troupe formed in 2013 at the Alamo Drafthouse downtown and now performs about once a quarter in North Kansas City.
Behind the scenes: At rehearsal last week, performers juggled grief and logistics, trading tribute ideas while blocking the show.
- Some ideas include a memorial on screen, Tim Curry tribute candles, and a night where the whole cast dresses as their favorite Curry characters.
- They're bracing for a bigger crowd than usual, and the director says that has some performers nervous in a new way after a decade of shows.
What they're saying: "Even just rehearsing the last song, where Frank sings 'I'm Going Home,' I've been tearing up every time," Annie Scott, a 10-year cast member playing Frank this season, tells Axios.
- Scott has played the part before, but this one carries more weight. "I really want to do it justice. Go out there and be flamboyant and loud."
- "If you want to come and be a part of a historic queer community in Kansas City, and just celebrate what that means," Scott tells Axios, "come out to our show."
What's next: Saturday's show is sold out, but the cast performs throughout the year, and $15 tickets are on sale for the Halloween show at 10:30pm, prop bags included.