Host lede:
It's just a jump to the left … and then a step to the right. Over 50 years later, fans still flock to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." N-W-P-B's Rachel Sun takes us behind the curtain to one production in Moscow [MOSS-co], Idaho.

OPTIONAL HOST OUTRO: Moscow's show will perform at 8 P-M and midnight this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 23 and 24) at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Center in Moscow.
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[SOUND BED: cast rehearsal of "Sweet Transvestite" by Tim Curry] 

When drag performer Celadon [SELL-uh-don] takes the stage as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, she makes sure every little move is dripping with the same grandiosity that Tim Curry brought to the screen over 50 years ago. 

Curry played Frank-N-Furter in the 19-75 film.

CELADON: " I know Rocky Horror in and out."

From the arched eyebrows, to the smug grin, to the little lip curl — 

[nat pop:  "Why don't you stay for the night? Or maybe a bite? I could show you my favorite obsession…" (0:09)

…there's no mistaking who plays Frank. 

Celadon is 40 now. But she says it's a performance that's been in the works for years. She first joined Moscow's shadowcast when she was 16.

CELADON: "This year I came back and I said, ‘I'm not trying to be a diva, but Frank-N-Furter is, like, my dream role.'" 

"Rocky Horror" has been popular with a wide-ranging audience for generations. But cast members say it also holds a special place in the hearts of many gay and queer audience members. 

CELADON: " That was one of my absolute, like, favorite things, and just the- the gender bending and the … anybody can be anything that they want to be."

Sarah Baker plays Columbia. She says growing up, Rocky Horror was a comfort show she'd watch with her family. When she got older and joined the cast, the experience helped her build confidence in herself and her body.

BAKER: "Just going out there the first time in your floor show outfit, in nothing but, like, a corset and underwear, and everyone is just loving it, eating it up." 

Aquasha DeLusty, another drag performer, has been directing Moscow's show for 10 years. She remembers seeing "Rocky Horror" for the first time in high school.

AQUASHA: "I think I was a freshman. It was a group of the seniors that (were) like, "You need to see this show." And I'm just like, "What the hell is this?" It made no sense to me, but at the same time, it was so fun and wonderful."

This year, DeLusty plays Janet. But you might have seen her in the high-heeled shoes of Dr. Frank-N-Furter before.

She says actors like Curry played their roles unapologetically — and that's a huge part of Rocky Horror's appeal. Curry died in August.

AQUASHA: "Representation with him was just- everybody's story deserved to be told."

Another favorite piece of the show? The audience involvement.

AQUASHA: "...Like, the entertainment is the experience itself."

Things like the audience callback. The whole show is full of them, passed down from one generation of Rocky Horror fans to the next.


RIFF RAFF: "Say goodbye to all of this."
AUDIENCE: "Goodbye all of this!"
RIFF RAFF: "And hello-"
AUDIENCE: "Hello!"
RIFF RAFF: "To oblivion!"
AUDIENCE: "Hi oblivion, how's the wife and kids?"

For many, Rocky Horror has been a part of their life for decades. But cast members say new audience members shouldn't be intimidated by the ritual-steeped showings. 

FALK: "It's OK if  don't have to know the call-outs. It's OK if you don't know the characters … just let yourself be open to the experience and have fun, and set your boundaries, and enjoy it."

That's Andrea (ANN-dree-uh) Falk. She plays the criminologist and leads audience callbacks. But she had never seen Rocky Horror until she auditioned in 20-16.

So…don't be freaked out if you're handed a bag with rubber gloves and a glowstick … it's all part of the show.

Reporting from Moscow — with much antici… pation — I'm Rachel Sun.