On a brisk night over winter break, I headed over to my cousin’s house for what I thought would be a chill evening. I brought my computer, and I was wearing a sweatshirt and Nike shorts. Classy. When he invited me to go watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Plaza Theatre with him, I was initially skeptical. It didn’t seem like something with which I would jive well, which I later found to be exactly the point.

My only interactions with the musical prior to that Friday night are downright pitiful.

1. The Glee episode “The Rocky Horror Glee Show”

2. The Perks of Being A Wallflower – you know, the scene where Emma Watson passionately grabs Logan Lerman’s hands and slaps them on her chest? Yeah, you know.

I’m normally not overly spontaneous, nor do I like being in large groups for long periods of time, so the boring snooze-sicle in me whispered: It’s Friday night, and you have a hot date with your computer. Don’t forget to waste all your time on Tumblr. 

But something pushed me to go. I felt SPONTANEOUS. 

So I got in his car around 11PM and headed out, sweatshirt and all, meeting up with kids from my school from all different grades. Some were younger than me; others were already out of high school. It was a glorious experience to bond over a new-found mutual love of Rocky Horror.

After loitering inside a diner for a while, we bought tickets; our punctuality afforded us the second spot in line, so that we were able to secure seats in the front row. That was a smart choice, because the gay host noticed me and announced to the entire theatre that I was gorgeous (LIFE MADE). Most of the actors and actresses were wearing the legal minimum; men wearing lipstick pranced up and down the aisles. The inside jokes yelled at the screen were so perfectly timed that I am now immensely jealous of the intimate host-audience relationship. It is now evident that most of the audience members were not “Rocky Horror virgins” like yours truly. In just 2 hours, I heard more crude language than I had in the past couple of months combined. I was lent dark lipstick and heavy eyeliner, which was awesome, because I NEVER wear dark lips. By the time we pulled back into my driveway, it was already 3 AM.

There are infinite details that I’d love to sprinkle in here, but you’d get bored quickly and easily, so just go watch it yourself.

If you ask most people, the whole experience is the polar opposite of who I seem to be, but that’s the point. How many nights of the year are you encouraged to shed your identity and be a nameless individual in a theatre?

My argument is that we should be more spontaneous. I did it by accident, when I went to Rocky Horror for the first time. But it’s the best mistake I’ve made in ages.

In my case, I think I’ve grown up too sheltered. It’s astounding to realize that people do these sort of things and other radical things much more often than I do, and I truly curious about how I’m going to react to the wildness that is college next fall.

While I don’t have anything against my quiet and hermetic lifestyle, an inappropriate late night performance is like a breath of fresh air. The outside world is both strange and hectic, and we ought to encounter it in waves and ebbs, rather than through dramatic slaps in the face.

Break out of the bubble. Rupture the rut that you’re stuck in once in a while, and disrupt the pace of everyday life when its monotony overwhelms you.

Go rob a bank. Kill a person just for the thrill of it…kidding! But at the end of the day, you don’t want to look back and regret saying no to opportunities that just didn’t seem appealing at first glance. 

Rocky Horror, in particular, is something that I encourage every young adult to try. The movie itself is absolutely horrific; it’s so badly made I can’t believe someone paid money to produce it. However, the performers’ mockery made it all worthwhile.

The music is surprisingly catchy, with “Time Warp” and “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me” tying for first place in the category of “Equally Awful Yet Captivating.”

I’m not sure if similar performances take place in other places, and I have no intention of asking around. I guess when I go off to college and find out that there are Rocky Horror showings in Evanston, it will be a pleasure surprise. :)

On a separate but equally important note, the Plaza Theatre is both an Atlanta landmark and the city’s oldest continually operating movie theatre. It’s at risk of being torn down to make place for something very important, like a parking lot or a condo, because we definitely need more of those around here.

The shows that are put on there are the only things that keep it going; tickets are $10. These shows are not family friendly and probably aren’t for everyone, but why not peek your head in once to check it out? WHY NOT? SERIOUSLY, WHY NOT?

Is this a review of the Plaza’s Rocky Horror? Why yes, I suppose it is! 10/10, would recommend.

Other sounds: