Rocky Horror Picture Show has been celebrated as an eccentric cult classic for almost 50 years. Bringing the 1975 musical comedy back to the stage is no small feat, but local drag queen Shelita Cox has proven that this cinematic masterpiece has more to give, with a twist.
Cox—my drag grandma—got the idea to do a Rocky Horror drag production from a friend who used to perform it at local nightclubs Rumours and Hush over a decade ago.
“They did it in that very small space, much like the first year that we did it,” says Cox, “where it was more nightclubby, with a group of friends that are now elders and no longer performing, with the exception of one of our leads, Electra Socket [Janet Weiss], who was part of the original cast.”
Later on, Lil Jam Jam and Atomic Vaudeville ran Rocky for over a decade out of the Metro Theatre. When the pandemic hit and everything shifted in the scene, there was an opportunity to revive the much-loved show. To pull it all together takes over a year of planning, cast members learning choreography, costume preparation, set design, and casting.
“I’m already working and planning out stuff for 2025 Rocky Horror, and around August of last year I was starting to get the strings pulled together to put this year’s on. It’s constant, on the back of my mind, all year long,” says Cox.
This production of Rocky Horror is accessible to so many decades of Rocky Horror lovers, even ones who might not normally be involved in the drag world.
“Last year was our first year doing a matinee of it,” says Cox, “and having a crowd that would usually be in bed by the evening shows at the matinee [and] filling the theatre, they had so much love and appreciation, not just for Rocky Horror but for the obscenity and the alt scene that usually don’t get that kind of love from that demographic, and that’s really heartwarming.”
Cox says that the show emphasizes that “it’s okay to be who you are no matter who that is, it’s okay to be different, it’s okay to be on the outside, it’s okay to just celebrate what makes you you.”
“That’s a constant message that Rocky conveys to people and something that’s made me fall in love with it even more year after year,” says Cox. “So much of what we do is interacting with the audience and holding back and being true to your emotion of the character for whatever number, skit, or play like Rocky Horror that you’ve had planned.”
Cox says that because of this, sometimes the performers have to think on their feet during a show.
“A beautiful challenge to have is every so often you hear a call-out from the audience that you’re not familiar with and you hold character and you can’t break face,” says Cox. “If someone does crack, then it shows to the audience, the person, and the rest of the cast just how much joy that person is having in that moment and it’s such a high and rush that we all get from doing this together.”
The glitter high does not settle, even after the curtain closes. Rocky Horror returns year after year because it is a true testament to living authentically and being you. As one of the show’s songs says, “Don’t dream it, be it.”
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Various times,
Wednesday, October 23 to Sunday, October 27
Various prices (code “Nexus” for 10 percent off)
Metro Studio
dragsundayproductions.com