A Very Special Halloween Treat

Well children!   I had a very very interesting experience last night.  I was privileged to accompany the designer of "Priscilla", Mr Brian Thomson, to one of four special midnight performances of

Many of you  followers will be aware that Mr Thomson was one of the original creatives on the stage version of this classic and went on to design the movie which is still dazzling and inventive and witty and loving all these years later.  I suggested he ring the theatre ahead and see if we could get a couple of reasonable seats but they didn't get back to him so we rocked up and paid and were about to stand in a huge wait line when he decided to make himself known to the manager . As it turned out the man who has been running the event in New York and playing Riff Raff for 26 years was up in Toronto to host the halloween shows. His name is Mike EllenBurgan and he is pictured below with BT

We were whisked up to meet some of the cast and to sit in the empty warmth of the Bloor Cinema..a deco gem..to await the show's start.

Upstairs foyer

Brian said it would be an ideal place for the live show. It reminded me of the late and sadly missed Valhalla Cinema in Glebe,Sydney, where Reg Livermore created the Aussie FranknFurter

Here is my tribute to Edward Hopper

The evening was  all wonderfully slapdash. Our charming hostess (seated) made us feel very welcome with her well worn patter...."Listen you fuckers,  I gotta list - so if you're a virgin (first timer), or have a fucking birthday or want to have me say any other fucking shit then come down and let me fucking know. And if you are offended by fucking swearing the evening is full of it so fucking get over it or fucking get out!"   Brian leaned over and said "There isn't any swearing in the picture"

 The cast ambled about in costume and made up and sold things before the show.

There were lots of dressups

The man on the right came to the wrong screening

He was wonderfully scary

 One of the cast brought a convert..all of 12 years old.

For one moment I got really angry. "Why couldn't I have had this when I was 12!!!"

Mad Man Mike  (Mr Ellenburgan's alter ego) ran a couple of competitions before the screening 

This was one which asked the contestants to give their rendition of a particular moment of satisfaction.

The eighteen year old man on the left won. He claimed he was 16 but everyone in show biz lies about their age.

Then followed a costume competiton.  The couple on the left should have won. They came as Dark and Stormy.  The 12 year old came as Rocky!

 The girl was dressed as Melanie Daniels being pecked to death and the guy on the right was The Island in "Lost"

Columbia does a final warm up

Then after a special announcement that THE DESIGNER was in the house the flic began.
  When his name came up on the credits there was a tumultuous roar!!

Now please forgive the quality of  lots of these pictures cos I am not very good at night shots and the camera is not really top of the range.  (Sheldon..Christmas is coming soon)   But I think they capture the lunacy of the night. The team really did a fantastic job of visually matching the scenes and at times the synchronicity was thrilling.

The cast visit the ticket booth as the credits roll

The dreary creature with the blond wig and fakes was the winner of the costume comp! Go figure

 A soaked Janet looking for shelter. By now we had been doused with water from above, in front and behind but there was more to come.

"There's a light..."

The wicked duo

Not quite Little Nell

They await HIS arrival

And are only slightly disappointed

His performance wasn't that bad

Slightly peeved that Rocky wasn't his usual self but I guess you have to take what you can get

 Some frenzied fun

I don't reacall these moments from the film

 

 By now we were all feeling a little dirty and damp.  But not damp for long because Franknfurter lobbed a huge container of water from yards away into the stalls. Guess who's faces it went right into.

Here it comes!

And here are a few more moments from the madness

So there we are. A weird night.  A wet night. The kids were terrific and spot on with their enthusiasm and skill.  But there was something missing.  I felt like we were looking at it all through smoked glass. The cast were too young to really know what the original join in experience was like. Too few of the audience had seen it enough to know what lines have become entrenched and only the film itself remains timeless and fresh.

I'll leave you with the reality .....

and the dream

 Mr Thomson. You really are a genius!!!!