By Tony Bravo, Arts and Culture Columnist
Oct 4, 2024 (SFChronicle.com)
Patricia Quinn as Magenta in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” BroadwaySF
Patricia Quinn is ready to do the “Time Warp” again.
When the Northern Irish actor first played the role of Magenta in the original production of Richard O’Brien’s “The Rocky Horror Show” in London’s West End in 1974, she knew the musical resonated with audiences.
“I began in a 60-seat theater,” Quinn, known in England as Lady Stephens, told the Chronicle by phone from London. “Within the first week, Mick Jagger and Bianca (Jagger), (David) Bowie all were there. From the beginning, it was a bang.”
In 1975, much of the original London cast — including Quinn, O’Brien (Riff Raff), Little Nell (Columbia) and Tim Curry (Dr. Frank-N-Furter) — reprised their roles for the 20th Century Fox film adaptation. Even after its London success, the film was a box office bomb. But by 1976, the movie found a new following when the Waverly Theater in New York City began screening it at midnight.
Little Nell Campbell, left, and Patricia Quinn, star in the 1975 cult musical “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” directed by Jim Sharman for 20th Century Fox.Evening Standard/Getty Images
Those “Rocky Horror” audiences began to participate in screenings, dressing up as characters, acting out scenes in front of the screen and shouting at the movie. The practice of “shadow casts” soon found a following around the country.
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“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” 50th Anniversary Spectacular Tour with Patricia Quinn: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9. $57-$328. Curran Theatre, 445 Geary St., S.F. www.sfcurran.com
“Richard and I got on the plane to New York because they invited us to witness this happening,” said Quinn, now 80. “We couldn’t bloody believe it, it was extraordinary.”
The film is now the longest-running theatrical release in movie history.
Ahead of Quinn’s appearance at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco for a special screening of the cult classic to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the performer reflected about the film’s legacy, the global “Rocky Horror” fan community and an overnight visit with King Charles when her late husband, Sir Robert Stephens, was knighted.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Patricia Quinn, left, and Nell Campbell at “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” 40th anniversary screening at Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 27, 2015, in London.Danny E. Martindale/Getty Images
Q: Did you imagine you’d still be talking about “Rocky Horror” 50 years after originating the role of Magenta?
A: It’s astonishing and beyond belief when I say it’s the longest-running film in cinema history.
What made the movie what it is was in New York, this entrepreneurial fan started speaking to us (Louis Farese is credited as the fan to start the callbacks) and dressing up and being the characters on the stage. We’re all sitting here in London and people are saying, “Did you hear what happened to your film? They’re talking to it!” I said “You’re mad!” But they were!
When we did the film, (director) Jim Sharman would not do it without the cast from the original. Bowie wanted to do it. Jagger wanted to do it. They all wanted to be Frank and he wouldn’t have any of them.
Patricia Quinn, left, and Richard O’Brien in a scene from the 1975 movie “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection/Getty Images
Q: Do you see the influence of “Rocky Horror” in culture in terms of more openness about gender identity and sexuality?
A: We were not delivering a message, and Richard O’Brien is the first person to say that. He said, “It’s a nursery rhyme. It’s the big dark house and Hansel and Gretel and the wicked witch Frank-N-Furter.” We were doing sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll and having a good time and kicking our heels up.
Linus, Richard’s son, is making a documentary on it and he said to me, “What did you first think when you saw Tim in his costume?” And I said, “What are you talking about? I’m an actor, he’s an actor. I didn’t gasp.”
Q: How do you feel when fans tell you stories about how “Rocky Horror” helped them find themselves?
A: Years ago at a convention, a girl came up to me with tears in her eyes. She had an arm that was disabled, and she said, “This film has changed my life.” And that’s the first time it ever meant anything to me. It obviously meant that she was accepted in the crowd.
Patricia Quinn, left, Tim Curry and Little Nell in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show. ”BroadwaySF
Q: What’s the most extraordinary place you’ve appeared with “Rocky Horror?”
A: When I presented it at the Royal Albert Hall, I walked onto that stage and was overwhelmed beyond belief. Then I thought, “I know what I’m going to talk about because it’s Victoria and Albert Hall …”
I knew the Prince of Wales (now King Charles) when he had my husband knighted for his acting. He invited Robert and I to Sandringham for a long country cultural weekend. We were given Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s bedroom suite.
Robert said to the prince, “You must catch up with Pat and her shows, sir. She’s out doing ‘Rocky Horror’ again. You’ve got to go and see her.” And (the prince) said to me after, “Pat, I’m so sorry I didn’t see your show, but I could hardly turn up in fishnets and garters.” I said, “No, you couldn’t. But you know, you could come as Brad in y-fronts (briefs) and a lab coat.” He looked at me and I thought, “Oh my God, I just said that to the future king.”
Q: Does anything still surprise you when you meet fans?
A: I thought I knew everything there was to know about “Rocky Horror” because I’ve done a million conventions, a million everything. Little Nell and I did a TV show once in the States, and the woman said to us, “Do you never get tired of doing these comic cons?” And Nell said, “Well, it’s very nice to be worshiped.” I said, “Get a dog then!”
Then, in the middle of this tour, I thought, “You know something, it is very nice to be worshiped.” It was like I was getting high on it. Everyone all loving, everyone appreciating everyone, it’s joyous. I thought, “I’d like to go to ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ and dress up as me.”
Reach Tony Bravo: tbravo@sfchronicle.com
Oct 4, 2024
ARTS AND CULTURE COLUMNIST
Tony Bravo is the San Francisco Chronicle’s Arts & Culture columnist. He primarily covers visual arts, the LGBTQ community and pop culture. His column appears in print every Monday in Datebook. Bravo joined the Chronicle staff in 2015 as a reporter for the Style section and also wrote the relationship column “Connectivity.” He is the host of the live interview series “Show & Tell” every month at Four One Nine and created the VoiceMap Chronicle LGBTQ audio tour “Over the Rainbow in the Castro” available for download on the app. Bravo is also an adjunct instructor at the City College of San Francisco Fashion Department, where he teaches journalism.