Do the ‘Time Warp’ at Mount Baker Theatre, Lincoln Theatre

Bellingham’s longtime iconic drag queen, Betty Desire is, in the scheme of things, a rather late arrival to “Rocky Horror” fandom.

“I watched my first show at the Neptune Theater in Seattle in 1992,’ Betty says. “I was hooked!”

Betty is one of a handful of Bellingham actors who will be on stage shadowing the cult film, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 29-31, at Mount Baker Theatre.

“I want to help this year’s audience feel the same thrill I remember from that ‘Time Warp’ so long ago,” says Betty, who plays The Criminologist.

The screenplay was written by Jim Sharman and Richard O’Brien, based on the 1973 musical stage version. It’s a satirical tribute to horror B-movies of the 1930s through the early ’70s. The movie version stars Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick.

CP Kaye, who plays Riff Raff, explains that a shadow cast is a group of people who recreate it on stage as the story unfolds.

“The audience participation and the shadow cast have kept the show new,” Kaye says. “The movie is packed with opportunity for double-entendre audience call-outs that have evolved over the years. Some creative audiences draw a connection to current events in humorous call-outs.”

Bellingham’s John Philip is coordinating the actors for the Mount Baker Theatre event, which traditionally encourages audience participation.

“I was working as a video production engineer in Southern California when I happened to go to the United Artists Westwood in October 1975,” he says. “I was 26. They were playing a movie ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ and I stepped in the see what it was. I will have to say I was not impressed and was getting ready to leave, when Frank stepped out of the elevator, and I was hooked. I have loved the show ever since.”

Bellingham actor Zoe Bronstein, who plays Frank N. Furter, says she “gets to be a woman dressed as a man dressed as a woman.”

“We’re adding a whole extra layer to an already insane, campy concept,” she says. “I think anyone who enjoys dressing up, disrupting movies, and laughing til they cry needs to see it.”

A word of caution: The film is rated “R” for mature content, so people 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Skagit County’s Theater Arts Guild’s Jane Skinner is directing a stage version of the show, billed as “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show,” at Mount Vernon’s Lincoln Theatre.

Skinner says the American company Samuel French Inc., which holds the rights to the stage show, states that the show’s title must be worded that way. She says it’s because O’Brien, who played Riff Raff, wrote the music and lyrics, and wanted to make sure people remembered his name.

Skinner says theater staff will be selling goody bags with appropriate props and instructions on how to use them for $5. She says the historic Mount Vernon theater has restrictions on what’s OK to use, so people not bring their own props.

The Lincoln show will feature a live, six-piece band on stage, and pre-show and intermission entertainment.

“We look forward to the audience participation, and have been rehearsing with the shout-outs so we know when to pause and wait for them,” Skinner says. “We encourage people to come in costume and be ready for a party!”

This story was originally published October 28, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Do the ‘Time Warp’ at Mount Baker Theatre, Lincoln Theatre."