Lisa Starr
Contributor
The fall theatre production at McDaniel College was The Rocky Horror Show. The show is filled with shocking twists and unexpected personalities. McDaniel put the play on for four nights, with a double feature on Friday night. My friends were all excited about the chance to partake in their first play here at McDaniel. I was the only one in my group of friends who was a Rocky alumna. I have seen the show four times and have been able to compare and contrast all the productions, picking out strengths and weaknesses. I persuaded five of my friends to see the show with me, and they looked to me for guidance. Oh, the things I could convince them to do!
A week before the show my friends threw ideas at me about the outfits they should wear. The ideas started out prim and proper (a nice pair of jeans with a polo) but got more appropriate as time went on. Two days before the show, we purchased our tickets, precious green rectangles with Rocky Horror printed in black writing. After weeks of waiting, the show was finally ready for the public.
One of my friends was in the cast, playing the role of Brad. A freshman getting such a good part would be unheard of at my old school. He disappeared for weeks before the show. When he would finally appear, he would be in a sleepy stupor. I decided that the more bags I saw under his eyes the better the play would be. The night before we saw the play, the bags under his eyes reached his cheekbones.
That night we ate dinner at top speed, taking three bites at a time. We decided to arrive 20 minutes early to make sure we found prime seats. We gathered in Anna’s room. The clothes for that night covered her bed like a blanket. Showers were necessary if we were going to stay up so late. The adrenaline rush we were experiencing could only get us through the first half of the show. We sprinted to the bathrooms and took the fastest showers ever.
Clustering in Anna’s room, we dressed in our Rocky get ups. Although I helped choose most of the outfits, they now looked different. Perhaps it was the excitement twisting my vision, but everyone looked awesome!
Anna wore a low cut black dress she had tacked up the night before so it came to her mid thigh. Carol’s outfit was the one exception to the rule of dressing slutty. She wore a jean skirt that made her cringe every time she looked in the mirror, a tank top, and leggings. Her hair was teased up in a ponytail that looked like it was straight out of I Dream of Genie.
Maria’s outfit might have been my favorite; leggings covered her legs in a tight black veil. On top of the leggings, she wore loosely fitted black shorts that came up to her mid thigh. She also wore a black tank top that flowed from her body in little ripples. A white collared shirt was layered on top of this, buttoned halfway so that is slipped off her shoulders. Maria’s hair, like Carol’s, was pulled in a high ponytail adorned with a sparkly silver hair band. She gave the impression of Kelly, Barbie’s younger sister. This Kelly, however, was ready for the streets!
Sarah wore a ribbed, black tank-top and pants with a fishnet glove. Taylor was the only one in the group afraid to look too outrageous. She constantly said, “Oh, I look like a hooker; I’m so glad my parents can’t see me.” Her outfit, although not as scandalous as others, was spectacular. She wore a short jean skirt with tall, black, formfitting boots and a maroon tank-top. Her hair was half up and half down with one strand of hair coming through to the front.
I wore the same outfit I had on for The Rocky Horror Picture Show movie I saw in town. I decided the pink corset top with skinny jeans did not look scandalous enough, so I added some black underwear that peaked out of the top of my pants.
Of course, make-up is critical at Rocky Horror, so we passed around a tube of blood red lipstick. Everyone sampled its power. Each person then added personal touches to her own make-up, and we were ready. We stepped outside, feeling the icy wind cut through our thin garments, piercing our skin with its bitter power. Running to the theater, we all burst out laughing.
The play was amazing! I really think it was one of the top two theatre productions I have ever seen. After the show, the audience exploded in applause, and, sadly, the night was over.
