COLUMN: Watch Local: 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', An Appreciation of Tim Curry

No figure looms larger in my childhood than Mr. Tim Curry.

My sister,cousin and I sat resplendent before our grandmother’s RCA tube television set, and we slid in the first of two VHS tapes of “IT" (1991) into the VCR. When tape two drew to a close, we were changed. No longer the children we once were, we were stranger, both more grown up and a little more ghoulish. In the coming month, without sleep, I had a lot of time to think (when I wasn’t sprinting to the bathroom and staying well away from what lurked under the bed). Amid those restless nights, I discovered I loved being scared. They say the first cut is the deepest and Tim Curry cut deep indeed.

Hollywood will be remaking “IT” for the next century. Mr. Curry’s Pennywise will be the Pennywise against whom all will be judged. Not to mention his incredible work in  “Legend,” “Clue,” “Congo” and“FernGully: The Last Rainforest” (a high point in countless voice performances).

As soon as you think he can only give big performances, he’ll toss a toned down “Hunt for Red October” supporting role in your lap. He had so much more to give than what you suspected. We were robbed of 20 years of his craft. Regardless, his work is totemic, running through generations of pop culture veins.

At sixteen, I discovered “Rocky Horror." From the opening song “Science Fiction/Double Feature” I knew the “Rocky Horror” poster on my wall was written in the stars. I drove around in my 1978 Pontiac Catalina blaring the soundtrack ad nauseam. I’ve seen it countless times: introduced it to countless friends. I had the joy of seeing a proper sold-out live production at the Tivoli by the traveling group Flustered Mustard (shout out to Jessica Turnbull for spearheading the event). To say we lost an icon recently in the passing of Mr. Curry isn’t bestowing the fields of flowers the man is entitled to.

The core theme of Rocky is that found family can reveal who you are. That it’s okay to be odd. That in fact, it’s your oddity that makes you who you are. There is no more welcome message to an awkward teen (and to be Frank-N-Furter a sometimes awkward adult).

And found my family, I have. Spencer didn’t have a lot going on when I was a teenager, but over the last 20 years we’ve been coming up in the world. The Pride Center is an absolute gift, bestowing much needed services, events and activities to our humble commUnity(sic). The arts are alive and well with the Owen County Theater and Arts Alliance (OCTAA) putting on real deal community theater, the Manhattan Short film festival at the Tivoli September 29^thand Owen County’s own Blue Box Film Festival coming to the Tivoli this April and Blue Box Film Club holding monthly private screenings(currently seeking new members).

Civilian Brewing Corps sharing a wall with the Tivoli is magic manifest. To gather with friends and family over a shared giant pretzel in anticipation of a film is where I really live. You have a vantage point to see the right moment to get in line to still get your favorite seat. It’s knowing when you exit the theater, you have a proper place for a film debriefing. So much going on in Spencer to mention but I have Owen News HQ breathing down my neck about word counts.

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is playing at our Tivoli Oct. 10^th. $15 admission to give Mr. Curry his flowers.