Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror // A Review

Every time I see actor Tim Curry, I immediately think of two of his legendary characters. First, there is Pennywise the Dancing Clown from the 1989 TV miniseries Stephen King’s IT. But also, and maybe one of the more endearing roles ever, is his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the iconic stage and film productions, The Rocky Horror Show and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, respectively. But where did the genesis of these celebrated shows come from, and what did the roles of Brad, Janet, Riff-Raff, Magenta, and the immortal Dr. Frank-N-Furter bring to the social landscape? These are a few of the insights answered by the recent documentary Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror, directed by Linus O’Brien.

 

This charming and wonderful documentary opens in his childhood hometown of Hamilton, New Zealand. O’Brien visits a large and quite formidable statue of “RiffRaff”, his portrayed character in the iconic Rocky Horror Universe. We then move into the story of how Richard O’Brien, a struggling musician and hairdresser, met Kimi Wong, his longtime collaborator (and partner and director’s mother). Realizing that he was about to be a father led him to write the rough edges of what would become The Rocky Horror Show. I can explain it to you if you’ve never seen it, but I’m pretty sure most have. And if you haven’t, you must experience it for yourself. A few words written online cannot fully describe an experience like that. Rocky Horror was O’Brien’s way to open up about his own feelings about his sexuality and to express who he really is. Letting his true self be free.

 

In the documentary, we go further into the background. He meets director Jim Sharman and musical director Richard Hartley. O’Brien and his crew settled in London’s West End and produced the first run of a hell of a show that initially started in the small back-alley theaters. Its whimsy and raucousness caught the West End’s attention, and in 1973 it made its debut. Then big-time theater and concert promoter Lou Adler got wind of it and decided to move not to New York, but to Los Angeles. It premiered there in March of 1974 and ran for nine months.

 

 

During its run in Los Angeles, the show was picked up by 20th Century Fox to be made into a film. Interestingly, the film didn’t do so well at its initial cinema release. But thanks to super fans like Sal Piro, the film developed a life all its own. They showed the film, but by using ghost actors and audience participation, it found a whole new second life in indie-film theaters. From there, this included many places, starting with the Waverly Theater in New York’s Greenwich Village, which sometimes ran 2 to 3 shows per night.

 

The Rocky Horror Show continues to resonate with so many people. It is an open letter to those who may not be comfortable in their own skins. Or maybe they already love to let their freak flag fly and just don’t want to do so solo. As we know, the story of Janet and Brad taking a wrong turn and ending up at the home of Dr. Frank-N-Furter was no accident. It was, as it was for Richard O’Brien, a way for them to finally realize their true selves, to explore their own sexualities, to feel passion and intimacy, and to let go of their oppressed desires.

 

Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror is a wonderful homage to a man (and film, wink wink) who helped create a safe place for those who feel ostracized and marginalized in the world to come together, commune, celebrate, and just let loose. This is why this documentary is so important, to continue the story. So thank you to Linus O’Brien for showing us an intimate and compassionate film about his father’s legacy and great masterpiece, The Rocky Horror Show. It was an absolute pleasure. You can now rent or own Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror or stream it online.