THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW: LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN

US, 2016, 93 minutes, Colour.
Laverne Cox, Ryan Mc Cartan, Victoria Justice, Ben Vereen, Staz Nair, Christina Milian, Reeve Carney, Tim Curry, Adam Lambert, Annaleigh Ashford.
Directed by Kenny Ortega.

The immediate response to this film is that it is for devotees of Richard O’ Brien’s famous musical theatre theatre production and film of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975, directed by Jim Sharman with Richard O’ Brien himself playing Riffraff. Tim Curry had a breakthrough role as Dr Frank N Furter.

However, many of the bloggers commenting on this film version are extremely dissatisfied, almost having the original film on a pedestal and its being unable to be knocked off, not even imitated, not even to be remade.

The film was rather small-budget in origin, was popular on stage – and then became a cult item for the next 40 years and more, audiences gathering to sing along with the film, reciting lines of dialogue, bringing many of the props and using them as actors performed on screen.

The director, Kenny Ortega, is a choreographer, who made the High School Musical series. There is a great emphasis on the staging of the songs, and the design and choreography of the dancing.

The film uses a range of devices because, basically, this is a filmed stage version, elaborate stage sets and transitions. However, some of the action is opened out, especially the introduction to Brad and Janet, their drive, the car breaking down, the rain, going to the mansion. There is a further device where these scenes and others are actually framed as if part of the film on stage and the camera turns to the audience watching, with them singing along at times as well as a lot of the actions with the props. This highlights the theatricality of the whole venture, its status as cult movie, its extraordinary popularity and participation.

Those familiar with the original will be able to comment on the detail of how the plotline, the music and interpretation of the songs, have developed and changed over 40 years.

The main change for the whole project is in the performer playing Dr Frank N Furter. Originally, it was Tim Curry, an extraordinarily flamboyant performance which led to Curry having a strong career on stage and film. There was a 1970s kinkiness in the appearance and performance, a male, female characteristics and costume, gay implications. While times have changed in terms of gender equality, it is surprising to see a woman in the role. In fact, the performer, Laverne Cox is a transgender person. But it means that Dr Frank N Furter is visually female, bustilly so, male characteristics not particularly evident, which diminishes the impact of the kinkiness of the character.

Brad and Janet here are the equivalent of Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick. Reeve Carney actually resembles Richard O’ Brien physically and makes quite an impression as Riffraff, as O’ Brien did in the original. The rest of the crew at the castle resemble many of the original characters in look and style.

There is a major difference in the presentation of the narrator. And this is particularly true of not only the commentary but of the lyrics for the Time Warp. In the original it was the very, very British Charles Gray, giving an almost professorial tone. This time it is Tim Curry himself with an extraordinary quiet, very laid-back commentary and Time Warp Lyrics.

For those who know the score, there is the wide range of songs, the transformation of the rather prim Brad and Janet by their encounters with Dr Frank N Furter and Rocky (Staz Nair) and, the Time Warp.

The film has all kinds of strange themes of Elvis, of aliens, of sex and transgender…

Which means that a remake or another staging is always possible.