At this point in pop culture history, rehashing the plot particulars of TheRockyHorrorShowis like revealing that Rosebud was Kane's sled: you really just oughttoknowby now.
Crash course: the stage musical that begat the movie that begat a subculture (one infinitely cooler than what StarTrekspawned), Rockyuses sexy musical numbers and kitschy choreography to weave a tale of wayward travelers, creepy castles, space aliens, bloody murder, steamy bisexuality, impossibly high heels, Goths before they were “Goths,” muscled male flesh and about a thousand other things we could mention but don't have room for. If you don't know it, see the movie—in a theater, at midnight—for the full interactive experience.
Even better, get your fishnet-clad legs over to the Maverick, which is staging Rockyin its original form. It's great—a two-hour erection of a theatrical experience with a sublime cast, headed by the fabulously over-the-top Dennis Tong as Frank-N-Furter. Taking a cue from the movie's cult, you can buy a bag of props at the box office and employ them whenever the appropriate line is uttered (apparently, glow sticks have replaced the Bic lighters of our youth). It also demands your full attention, since actors frequently leave the stage to climb through the cocktail-table-seated audience—you're liable to find a certain sweet transvestite wiggling around on your lap, lasciviously licking your ear.
But Rockyisn't the only story here. There's another debut going on—the Maverick Theater itself. After shuttling from one temporary locale to another, Brian Newell's company has, finally, found a permanent brick-and-mortar home in up-and-coming downtown Fullerton, just across the tracks from the train station. It's a spiffy space designed to resemble a 1920s speakeasy, with a chandelier in the lobby, a faux-marble entryway, a print of flappers and society mavens above the candy and soft drink bar, terrific sound (each actor in Rockyuses wireless mic headsets), and a fantastic Art Deco stage arch designed by Joseph Musil, who was involved in the remodeling of the El Capitan in Hollywood and is currently working on plans for the recently saved Fox Fullerton Theater.
Once they get the second of their two rooms running (Rocky is staged in the space's cabaret half, with the audience seated at cocktail tables; the more traditional theater next door will debut later in the year), the Maverick should quickly become the envy of every other storefront company in OC.
The Rocky Horror Show at the Maverick Theater, 110 E. Walnut Ave., Fullerton, (714) 526-7070. Fri.-Sat., 8:30 p.m. (also Sat. at midnight in July). Through July 23. $18.
