My New Year's Eve Tradition: Rocky Horror Picture Show

This time last year I was wondering if it would be the last time. The Astor Cinema was being sold and the owner kicked out. But then, a miracle - instead of being turned into fancy apartments it was bought by the Palace Cinemas group, which bought all the films the Astor shows and really, they have kept it pretty much as it was. There's even a new cat to follow on from Marzipan, the tortoiseshell cinema cat who lived to be twenty years old. Her successor, Duke, is black and white. He is a rescue cat from the animal shelter. We came across him in the street after the movie and the girls cooed over him and stroked him, much to his enjoyment.

I have been going to the annual Rocky Horror Picture Show on New Years Eve for the last five years or so, and since last year I've gone with my nephew David, his girlfriend and his two daughters, Dezzy and Rachel, plus my niece Amelia. It's a fun event and you don't have to stay up till midnight, which is something I no longer bother about. People dress up and compete for a prize in the costume parade. I know that these days it's called cosplay but that's what we call it at the cons I attend and anyway, that's what it was called tonight by the MC, who dresses as Frank'N'Furter.

There is a lot of clowning around beforehand, including , tonight, two Rocky Horror "virgins" who hadn't seen it before, who were called up on stage to make orgasm sounds. The young woman was chosen to win the prize, then the movie began. The cinema hires a bunch of actors to stay on stage and act out the film along with the cast on screen.

And there's the interactive stuff, including throwing rice and spraying water and even, later in the film, toast. I'd hate to be having to clean up afterwards! And people sing along and call out at certain points. And you dance the Time Warp - I always get up for that.

Of course, there's always someone, at least one, who overdoes the "interactive" and yells constantly so no one else can enjoy the movie. Tonight's idiot wasn't even the usual young man, he was grey-haired and balding. You'd think he would have outgrown this sort of stuff, but they do tend to think they're funny. I guess he must have been a fan for many years, maybe since the cult thing began. I know I first discovered it many years ago, myself,  on my first overseas trip. My cousin and his wife took me to a local cinema to see it. I wondered why so many people had brought candles and rice - I soon found out.  It was a very new fandom  back then.

I do love it - seen it many times on stage and screen alike, but it's kind of nice to see the film and know that the actor playing RiffRaff is the show's composer, Richard O'Brien(who, incidentally, had a piece in an issue of ASIM). The woman playing Magenta was in I, Claudius as Claudius's dreadful sister.  And there's Tim Curry, who was the very first sexy Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance.

It's such a joyous tribute to those old science fiction B movies, you can't help singing and dancing along. If you've never seen it, do give it a go!

Anyway, that's my New Year's Eve. I hope yours was just as enjoyable.