'Rocky Horror' star Bostwick, shadow cast, to appear at Tucson drive-in screenings

After eight long months, members of the local “Rocky Horror Picture Show” shadow cast, a group known collectively as Heavy Petting, are looking forward to doing the “Time Warp” again.

The 25-person troupe, which acts out scenes from “Rocky Horror” while the cult classic plays behind them on the big screen, has been invited to participate in two 45th anniversary showings, hosted by the Tucson-based, drive-in movie company El Toro Flicks — Carpool Cinema.

The screenings will be the first time the cast has performed in front of a live audience since the Loft closed its doors in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Up to that point, Heavy Petting had been part of the Loft’s regular “Rocky Horror” screenings, a tradition at the independent movie theater for years.

Members are shivering with anticipation, according to André Rivera, one of the cast managers for the group.

“Everybody is ready to go,” he said. “We are excited to see local audiences participating from their cars however they can.”

The screenings will take place at El Toro’s two Tucson-area locations, at Steam Pump Ranch, 10901 N. Oracle Road in Oro Valley on Thursday, Nov. 12; and in a lot near the MSA Annex, at 131 S. Linda Ave., downtown, Friday, Nov. 13.

As a cherry on top, actor Barry Bostwick, known to “Rocky” fans as nerdy hero Brad Majors in the original film, will be introducing the movie. Bostwick will also be participating in a socially distanced meet-and-greet.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which follows a young couple as they get up close and personal with Dr. Frank-N-Furter (played by Tim Curry) and his depraved, musical minions, was one of Bostwick’s earliest films.

He has done plenty of movies and television shows since, including six years spent as New York mayor Randall Winston in the Michael J. Fox sitcom “Spin City,” but he’ll always be Brad to certain fans.

“It is going to define my obituary,” Bostwick, 75, joked from his Florida home. “During the 1970s, when we realized that this was being picked up by fans and they were creating this whole different kind of theater around it, I thought, ‘I am in this for life.’”

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

It is a distinction that Bostwick and his fellow cast mates, people like Susan Sarandon, Curry and Nell Campbell, embrace, Bostwick said.

“We are all such big fans of the movie,” he said. “Whenever anything comes along where we can promote the film, we will. It is so incredibly special.”

Bostwick has already done a handful of drive-in theater dates on the East Coast. In addition to Tucson, he’ll also be making appearances at screenings in Phoenix and Palm Desert, California.

Bostwick said he is happy to be able to give shadow casts across the country an opportunity to perform again.

“Most of them have lost their home theaters,” he said. “I know they are itching to put on their bustiers and mesh stockings again.”

Rivera said Heavy Petting is prepared for whatever an outdoor drive-in theater experience might bring them.

Rivera actually participated in a “Rocky Horror” screening at the West Wind Glendale 9 Drive-in theater for Halloween with the Phoenix shadow cast, Frankie’s Fishnets.

Some Fishnets members will be participating in the Tucson-area screenings.

“We were performing (in Glendale) in front of the screen on the pavement,” Rivera said. “I had a blast. We made people laugh. In some parts of the movie, we run around the theater, so we ran around the parking lot so everybody could see us.”

Rivera said Heavy Petting is open to doing for-hire shows, but there are no set plans of performing at The Loft anytime soon.

“The cast and The Loft are thinking about the safety of others,” he said. “It is disappointing, but we would rather have people come back to our show healthy, than put on a show and risk people getting sick.”