Part of the Music On Film series, this new book goes over the history of the phenomenon - how the original play came into being, how it was turned into a film, and how it gained a loyal following. And it does focus a good deal on the music.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show owes its existence in part to the decision in 1968 "to strip the Lord Chamberlains's office of its 231-year-old right to veto and censor any play or production destined for publich stage" (page 17). This is something I didn't know before. Twenty-four hours after the Theatres Act became law, Hair opened, followed by Oh! Calcutta! and The Dirtiest Show In Town. And those were followed by The Rocky Horror Show in 1973. This book does a good job of providing the connections between these stage shows and The Rocky Horror Show.
Another bit that I didn't know was that the role of Columbia was not part of original script, and that Jim Sharman saw Little Nell and had Richard O'Brien write a part for her. And her presence is what led to "The Time Warp" also being added. (It's hard to imagine Rocky Horror without "The Time Warp.")
As for the cast, this book focuses on the cast members that went on to do the movie - Tim Curry, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell and Jonathan Adams. I would have liked more about Christopher Malcolm (the original Brad who went on to have roles in The Empire Strikes Back and Absolutely Fabulous) and the original Janet, of whom I know very little.
And of course, a good section of the book deals with the play's (and the film's) music. A section is included with little bits of information about the films mentioned in the show's opening number, "Science Fiction Double Feature."
According to Dave Thompson, "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me" (Janet's solo) was added just before a preview. Does that mean "Once In A While" (Brad's solo) was added then too? That song oddly is not mentioned here. It is mentioned briefly later in the chapter of adapting the play into the film, but only this: "The song 'Once In A While' was lost" (page 81), which isn't strictly true. It was in the screenplay and shot, but then cut before the film's release.
There is some information about the musicians on the soundtrack, but I would liked a lot more of that. After all, this is the Music On Film series.
As most people probably know, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has audience participation, and several props are involved. A list of these is included in the book. Two of the items on the list - Kit Kats and Bounty bars - have not been used at any of the screenings I've been too (that I can recall). (By the way, we didn't allow hot dogs at our shows in Oregon. Being a vegetarian, I did not want to get hit with a hot dog.)
One of the chapters that I especially appreciated was the one on more recent productions of the stage show. It of course includes information about the production in which Joan Jett played Columbia (no tap-dancing for her). And I was truly amused and delighted to learn that there is a porn version, The Rocki Whore Picture Show, which was released last year. I really want a copy of this Brad Armstrong porn version. Does anyone have it? Brad Armstrong (or anyone from Wicked Pictures), if you're reading this, please send it to me, and I'll review it here on this web site.
The book includes several pages of color photos of various posters, buttons and so on (some of which I'd never seen before). I just wish the pages were bigger - the print is too small to read in the photo of the Broadway revival program.
Rocky Horror fans are certainly going to buy this book. As for the rest of you, if you're curious about the phenomenon that is Rocky Horror, this book is a good place to start. Of course you have to go see the film too (in the theatre - do not watch it on DVD, at least not for your first time).
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was published on May 1, 2012 by Limelight Editions. It's a softcover book, and is 148 pages.
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