Celebrating 50 Years of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
By Megan Fitzgerald
Barry Bostwick still remembers stepping into Brad Majors’ tighty-whities like it was… well, not exactly yesterday. As The Rocky Horror Picture Show marks its 50th anniversary, Bostwick is touring the country with live screenings that include shadow casts, costume contests, and plenty of audience interaction. Ahead of his appearance June 5, 2025 at The Broward Center, Bostwick spoke about the film’s unlikely longevity, its impact on fans, and how “just a party” became a cultural institution.
- When you first got involved with the project, did you have any idea you’d still be screening it 50 years later?
“No. That’s always a hard question because we knew we were doing something special. We knew we were surrounded by artists and creators who were cutting edge and avant-garde in a way. And the material was of its time and brilliantly written, I thought. And I thought it was a great project, but how many musicals make it past their first screening in their first run? I don’t think we were quite aware of how powerful the music was. It was just old-time rock and roll, which is the thing, I think, that attracts so many people time and time again—not just the sort of innocent sexuality of it, but I think just the sheer energy of the music. Did I answer your question? No, I didn’t have a clue.” - When did you realize the movie had taken on a life of its own?
“I think when it started hitting the press in New York, and then it started going around the country that there was this new kind of show, this new kind of entertainment that the fans had created and nurtured.I think Sal Pirro, who was the originator of this whole sort of bacchanal… he didn’t own anything about the movie. He didn’t own the theater. He just was the first one to stand up and go, ‘Well, if you guys want to dance in the aisles, go ahead. Or if you want to throw something, just don’t throw it at me.’ And then when I eventually saw it at the Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles, they handed me a gold record because Rocky had just gone gold. I knew they were going to do something for me, so I got an old pair of my tighty-whities and framed it and signed it to the company. They had it in their lobby for years before the theater was ripped down.”
- Why do you think the film resonates so deeply with LGBTQ+ audiences?
“Well, it was that audience that created it. It was that audience that it spoke to early on. The ‘don’t dream it, be it’ generation—even though you’re different or you feel different or your group is different—we should embrace all of our differences and celebrate them.It was just a big dress-up party. My character, Brad, says at the beginning, ‘It’s just a party, Janet.’ And that’s what it was. Friends and relatives and strangers getting together at midnight to just celebrate their uniqueness.It took a while for the communities around the country and the world to embrace it and accept it. There was a lot of pushback in New York City when it first started. Truckloads of people would go by and yell and throw things at them and say, ‘Get off the street.’ But Rocky Horror pushed that line in a positive direction.” - Do you have a favorite fan interaction or memory from a screening or fan convention?
“My favorite interactions are always listening to the stories of the people who first saw it and what it meant to them. Whether it was just a fun night out or whether they really thought about seeing the world in a more open way. There was a documentary being made called Rocky Horror Saved My Life. And there have been many instances of people saying, ‘I was despondent. I was depressed. I thought I was alone. I didn’t see my group represented in the world.’ And this movie moved them to the point where they could accept themselves. My heart is with the shadow casts who keep this alive and keep entertaining people. I think a lot of the people in these casts are diligently working on their own self-image. And to have this community they’ll have for the rest of their lives… that’s meaningful.”
5. What can fans expect at the Fort Lauderdale show?
“They’re going to have a whole evening of fun. We have costume contests, we interact with the audience, I introduce the shadow cast. There’s a virgin ceremony.Larry Viezel, who is the head of the fan club worldwide now, goes with me and introduces the film. There’s a sort of museum of some original stuff from the movie in the lobby. And the shadow cast sells prop bags. Like I said—Brad says, ‘It’s just a party, Janet.’ Well, that’s what we do. We just try to throw the best party we can, and we haven’t been disappointed yet. It’s amazing—we’ll have three generations of spectators. I’m always astonished that a 16-year-old in the audience is just as excited as their grandparents were. That doesn’t happen very often, but Rocky Horror brings families together.”
Author: Megan Fitzgerald, PhD, Associate Professor
