Tranvestites. Lingerie. Thrusting. Chair Dances. Gyrating. Stripperobics.
Some people what call what I did during Interim "uncouth" or "raunchy." In fact, I think was the New York Times that called the Rocky Horror Show "campy trash." And it is. I will not deny that fact at all. When Richard O'Brien wrote the Rocky Horror Show, he was poking fun at horror, science fiction, and the fact that society treats sexual subjects as taboo. The subjects the play (and then the movie) brought up in the 70s was extremely taboo and in 2008, it still is. People don't want to talk about gay sex, tranvestites, and "sins of the flesh."
This January at Wofford, a group of students decided to bring all of these contraband subjects into the light. We took Wofford and Spartanburg by storm. Some people were enthralled Some people were shocked and disgusted. We had a baptist church in Spartanburg who almost boycotted and picketed the show (funny thing is I'm not the only cast member who is Baptist). Some of the students involved had parents who acted abrasively towards their involvement with the show. My mother, the preacher's wife, came to see the production, not because she wanted to see it but because she wanted to support me. For that I am grateful. And for the record, the vast majority of people were supportive and thrilled of our production, which rocks immensely. And we all had a great time doing it!
Here's my take on the controversy of it all: more than a few people have said that these subjects need to be discussed in the theatre and in the world in general. I agree with them. Sex (and its resulting scandal) is a ridiculously huge issue in the world today and it's all over the place: in music videos, in movies, even in the White House not too long ago. Why is it so hard for us to talk about it? We can discuss bombs, murder, animal brutality, and rape until our breath has been exhausted, but no one can bring up gay sex or transvestites or even premarital sex without it being a major issue. The Rocky Horror Show makes people uncomfortable because they choose to be uncomfortable during it. Granted, the Show isn't for everyone and I respect that, which is why it isn't mandatory for every person to see it. However, those of us who enjoy letting go and finding humor and tragedy in it should not be labelled as oversexed heathens.
...We just know how to let go. We can jump the left, step to the right, and bend our knees. But when we add that pelvis thrust... boy, the controversy erupts.
