On Monday, the ASUCD Entertainment Council encouraged one and all to put on their best pair of fishnets, dust off their pumps and slap on some red lipstick by presenting a free screening of the tantalizing cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 194 Chemistry along with a $100 prize winning costume contest.
There were Brad Majors, Janet Weisses, Columbias, Rockys and Magentas all vying for the honor of winning. A Rocky Horror virgin, Nicole Barfknecht, a junior neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, tap-danced in true Columbia style to persuade the room to vote for her.
Some costumes were more authentic than others and some participants were more hardcore and enthusiastic in putting them together.
“I dressed up as Brad Majors,” said Patrick Dayton, a junior classic civilization major. “I got the suit off of Ebay and the plaid bowtie and cummerbund at a thrift store. The prescription on the glasses is so high that I can barely see, but they complete the costume!”
In the end though, the winner by audience applause was Althea Kent, a sophomore English and medieval studies major, who stole the show as “The Lips.“
“I decided to dress up as The Lips because I was certain that there would be plenty of Riff Raffs and Magentas and maybe even a few Frank-N-Furters, but there are very rarely The Lips, even though they open the movie,” she said. “It was lovely to win, but it was even better to see so many fans of the film.“
In addition to as many free churros and cookies as the audience could eat, the Love Lab was parked out front handing out a wide variety of free condoms before the main event began.
There were some of the classic Rocky Horror participation traditions taking place during the show, such as some scattered yelling and props, but the entire audience got into the spirit by shimmying and jumping their way through the “Time Warp” and singing along.
“The best thing about Rocky is the whole experience with everyone calling out lines and acting like they’ve known each other for years,” said David Vergona, a sophomore comparative literature and English major. “The movie isn’t that great by itself, but the whole sense of event makes it worth going to.“
– Elena Buckley
