The show must go on for northwest Indiana’s loyal band of Rocky Horror performers as they prepare for their Saturday performance following the death of Tim Curry, the actor who brought the film’s extravagant main character to life.
“When I found out about Tim, I couldn’t believe it,” said John Davey, cast leader of Rocky Horror in Abundance. “He was Dr. Frank-N-Furter. He literally shaped my entire life.”
Curry originated the role of the mad scientist in the 1973 London stage production of “The Rocky Horror Show,” which he enshrined on film two years later. His résumé included classic films in nearly every genre from “Clue” and “Muppet Treasure Island” to “Annie” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” He portrayed the evil clown Pennywise in the 1990 TV miniseries adaption of Stephen King’s “It” and garnered three Tony nominations, including one for the role of Mozart in the original Broadway production of Peter Shaffer’s “Amadeus” in 1980.
Curry died at the age of 80 on Aug. 25 in his Los Angeles home. He suffered a stroke in 2012 that left him unable to walk.
“I like playing the more curious corners of the human mind and human behavior, partly because they’re a tad more interesting,” Curry told The Associated Press in 1993.
Davey started the first Rocky Horror shadowcast in northwest Indiana in 1992 at the now-demolished Loew’s Theater in Merrillville. Traditional Rocky Horror movie showings include a costumed cast acting out the events on screen, with bags of props handed out for audience participation during certain scenes.
The name of the shadowcast and the location of their performances have changed over the years, but their collective love for Tim Curry has stayed constant. The reigning troupe, Rocky Horror in Abundance, currently performs at Avenue 912 at 202 West Ridge Road in Griffith.
This Saturday’s theme is a SpongeBob crossover version of Rocky Horror, in which the cast has been working for months crafting new props and costumes.
“Why did he have to go now, right before our SpongeBob show?” asked Holly Schulz, “Rocky Horror in Abundance” cast member and social media manager. “We want to work in a moving tribute to Tim Curry. So we are probably going to be crying and getting choked up, with Frank being played by one of the villains of SpongeBob.”
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Tickets are $12 each and available at the door and online at www.nwirockyhorror.com, though presale is advised.
Their next show will be at 9 p.m. on Sept. 24 and will be a special tribute event to Tim Curry. Ryan “T.R.” Mix, “Rocky Horror in Abundance” cast elder, said attendees will be encouraged to dress up as their favorite Tim Curry character.
“The love for ‘Rocky Horror’ has been going strong for 51 years, and it’s all because of the love and sacrifice of supporting local casts and new people joining and keeping it going,” Mix said. “Following Tim Curry’s death, I can see people who have fallen off from the fandom coming back and maybe new people finding out about it. The more ‘Rocky Horror’ we have in the world, the better.”
Mix said there are about 40 cast and crew members ranging from 18 to 67 years old.
“For people who come here and want to be performers, Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter is often their inspiration for that … The people that get drawn into the cast, they’re often people that need a community, they’re looking for something to belong to,” Mix said. “Like me, they were feeling like an outsider — insecure. Confidence is an issue. But when you see Tim Curry up there being Frank-N-Furter, exuding confidence and sexiness and whimsy. They get to live that, the people who perform as Frank.”
Mix said he will always remember what Tim Curry said when he saw him at a convention five years ago. The actor was talking to the audience, who filled a theater to hear him speak.
“He did a guest appearance at a theater, the place was packed,” Mix said. “He said, ‘I’ve had my doubts about ‘Rocky Horror’ throughout my career, but looking at this room, and seeing what’s become of it, it brings me to tears.’”
Curry wrote in his 2025 memoir “Vagabond” that he was convinced to tell his story thanks to so many moving encounters with fans.
“The notion that my experiences might resonate helps me persevere — if they strike a chord with only one teenager, alone with a book in his room, as I so often was; or that young woman reading this on an interminably long bus ride; or that older queen, hopefully still in his fishnets, who saw ‘Rocky Horror’ upstairs at the Royal Court; or that middle-aged mother who organizes ‘Clue’ watching parties and refuses entry to anybody out of costume; or that buttoned-up bank clerk who relishes musicals; or that woman who kicked me out of the Waverly for being myself,” he wrote.
Davey described the moment he saw a midnight “Rocky Horror” viewing as a teen as a life-changing moment. Then when Davey, a self-described loner in school, drew the “Rocky Horror” logo on his jacket, he caught the attention of a group of fellow students that would become lifelong friends.
“I was enamored with that film, I had never seen anything like it,” Davey said. “I was a little northwest Indiana kid, we got whatever cable brought us. I was a teenager watching John Hughes movies. But watching ‘Rocky Horror’ was the beginning of the person I am today. It introduced me to themes and ideas I had never heard about before that. It was my first real introduction to counter culture, and meeting people who are open about being different. Punk rock. Good friends. All of those things, I found through ‘Rocky Horror.’”
When he first began attending conventions, Davey’s mother obliged to sew him a corset to complete his Frank-N-Furter costume. Walking in Curry’s platform shoes, Davey found a new sense of confidence in himself.
“I would say in that outfit, I didn’t think about all of my insecurities,” Davey said. “I didn’t think about what I thought about myself or how society had made me feel. At least for those few hours, it was like, none of that exists. I’m glamorous right now.”
After the original “Rocky Horror” troupe’s time at Loews Theater, they moved to Crossroads Cinema, which once stood at 61st Avenue and Broadway in Merrillville, where they performed for 13 years. In 2008, they transferred to the Hobart Art Theater but had to leave once the theater changed ownership in 2020, Davey said. The group said they plan to stay in their current venue in Griffith as long as possible.
Over the years, many people have played Tim Curry’s character. Schulz said the role has, quite literally, big shoes to fill.
“It’s amazing how many people he touched as a performer and as a person,” Schulz said. “And I think it is important to remember that. And I feel like he, even for a role like Frank-N-Furter, made a lot of people who didn’t feel like themselves be able to become their genuine selves more.”
The Associated Press contributed.
Anna Ortiz is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.