Newton Theatre screens ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’
Patrons of the Newton Theatre will be getting ready to do the time warp. Again.
From 1924 to 2010, the theater was a movie house that showed everything from silent films to the latest Hollywood blockbusters. Occasionally, especially in the early years, vaudeville acts would provide live entertainment.
For the past five years, under its current ownership, the Newton Theatre has hosted a variety of musical acts and other entertainers.
Now the theater management is preparing to bring movies back to Newton, beginning with one of the true cult classics of the past 40 years: “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
A musical spoof of cheesy sci-fi movies and a satire on sexuality, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will be screened this Saturday, June 27. The film will be preceded by music, dancing, and a costume contest.
The movie itself will be accompanied by the Home of Happiness, a “shadow cast” that will re-enact the action of the movie and lead the audience participation. Bags of props will be sold before the screening; no outside props are allowed.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” opened to tepid reviews in 1975 but gained a cult following from midnight screenings. The film stars Susan Sarandon (before the Oscar), Barry Bostwick (before “Spin City”) and Meat Loaf (before “Bat Out of Hell”).
The most memorable turn, though, comes from Tim Curry as the flamboyant Dr. Frank N. Furter. The score also includes such songs as “Time Warp,” “Over at the Frankenstein Place,” and “Sweet Transvestite.”
The choice of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” to mark the return of movies to the Newton Theatre was deliberate, according to Jonathan Peirce, the theater’s director.
“We want something special for our first movie,” says Peirce. “We wanted a classic, but we also wanted something that was an event. This qualifies.”
Peirce notes that the theater has installed the latest digital projection and digital sound equipment. He feels that fact alone will be a draw, even to people familiar with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” from midnight screenings in the 1970s and 1980s.
“Where else will you be able to see a movie on a 30-foot-wide screen, with all-new digital surround sound? This is the way movies were meant to be seen,” he says.
Peirce plans to make movies a more frequent part of the Newton Theatre’s schedule. He sees a market for a variety of screenings: classic films, cult films, concert movies, independent features, and foreign films.
“The idea is that we’ll show anything except what’s showing at the multiplex,” Peirce says.
He would also like to see a film festival based at the theater, hosted by local film experts.
“The goal is to make movies part of our programming,” Peirce says. “I’d like to eventually have at least one movie every week.”
He adds that the audiences will have a large say in the film schedule. “We’ll be polling people to find out what they want to see,” Peirce says.
Peirce thinks that the Newton Theatre’s film program will find an audience in northwest New Jersey. “We providing a chance to see cool and interesting movies in a great environment,” he says. “Where else can you find that?”
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
WHAT: The 1975 cult classic spoofing 1950s sci-fi movies and sexual mores will get the digital projection treatment. The film is preceded by a party with music, dancing, and a costume contest. Merchandise for interaction with the movie will be sold in the lobby. The Home of Happiness, a “shadow cast,” will lead the audience participation.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 27. (Movie starts at 9 p.m.)
WHERE: Newton Theatre, 234 Spring St., Newton
TICKETS: $10. $3 for prop bag. (No outside props allowed.)
INFORMATION: 973-383-3700 or www.thenewtontheatre.com.