MASS-QUERADE
Posted by terrance | Filed under Happenings, Repo Shadow Casts
It’s Halloween weekend. I’m in Massachusetts. Pretty cool, right? On paper at least. This is, after all, the state that hosted the infamous Salem witch trials of the 17th century. Three hundred years later, MA also gave birth to the brutal crimes of The Boston Strangler. Perfect place to celebrate Devil’s night, no?
To be perfectly honest, I’m leery about being sucked into a lame tourist trap. This might be the one weekend of the year to completely avoid Massachusetts. Yet here I am.
I’ve always had apprehensions about holidays because I’ve never needed a publicly sanctioned day to be wild or to wear a filthy loincloth to work. Never needed a slot machine to be daring. Never needed an expiration date to tell me that the milk was sour.
If you’re reading this blog, you probably feel the same way. I say this because if you follow this online journal it stands to reason that you’re a fan of REPO! The Genetic Opera. Which probably means that you too don’t wait for a day like Halloween to play dress up. REPO! fans dress up when ever they damn well please. Go to any screening of the film and look around at the audience…you’ll see what I’m talking about.
But it’s Valentine’s Day, mister, why are you wearing a scary costume? The hokey mask staring down at you and the serrated blade pressed against your abdomen ain’t a costume, Timmy. Now don’t turn this rape into a murder.
So, it would be misleading for me to make special mention of the outfits on display at a REPO! “Halloween” event, which incidentally is why I’m in the Bay State for the weekend: I’ve been invited to Northampton’s Academy of Music Theatre to appear as a special guest for midnight screenings of REPO! and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Saturday, October 31, 2009.
Like REPO! fans, Rocky devotees don’t need a holiday to get dolled up. It’s the other three hundred and sixty four days of the year where the corsets and fishnets worn by Rocky’s sweet transvestites and REPO!’s scalpel sluts are unique. What is unique is that tonight is a melding of sorts of the two fandoms—hardcore groups that share similar personalities, but don’t always get along.
There have been other Rocky-REPO! unions in the form of double features and character-swapping by shadowcasts, but this is the first time—to my knowledge—that an evil ambassador for one of the films (yours ghouly) has been present.
Oh-Oh, At The Late-Night Double Feature Picture Show…
It’s been almost a year to the day since I last attended a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. REPO!’s director, Darren Lynn Bousman, and I—along with REPO!’s stars Alisa Burket and Bill Moseley—left a Halloween party and headed to L.A.’s NuArt Theatre for a screening. The NuArt has been home to weekly midnight shadow-casted performances of Rocky Horror for decades. This night was significant because Darren and I had been feeling rather despondent over the state of REPO! Our film had recently failed a recruited-audience test-screening, and horrible critical reviews were being showered upon us. In short, the consensus was that we made a movie without an audience. We went to Rocky in search of a pick-me-up.
This decision was spontaneous. It was Saturday night and we were reminded that Rocky was screening across town. We thought, ‘why not go and witness a film that inspired both of us as filmmakers?’ Hadn’t Rocky too been bashed by mainstream critics? Wasn’t Rocky, like REPO!, destined to be a commercial failure, once upon a time?
Our evening at the theatre did more than just brighten our spirits; it reinvigorated our passion for REPO! Watching the hordes of costumed freaks spilling from the theatre’s lobby and out onto the street, waiting in line to see a film over thirty years old, singing and dancing in the aisles until well past most people’s bedtimes…this was exactly what we needed. The night was magical. The film, and its audience, has always been a testament to courageously being different. Darren and I looked at each other and said, “Fuck the nay-sayers! REPO! is our baby and we’re not giving up until it finds an audience.”
Time Warp Forward a Year…
It’s All Hallows’ Eve. I’m in Massachusetts being called to the Academy of Music’s stage, asked to give a brief intro to tonight’s screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, prepped to say a few words about cult cinema.
A year ago, I would never have guessed that people would be dressing up like characters that I helped to create, waiting in line to meet me, producing scores of amazing REPO!-inspired fan art, singing and dancing in the aisles to REPO! songs at hours well past most people’s bedtimes. I certainly never fathomed that REPO!’s cult fandom would reach a level where it would be compared to that of Rocky’s on such a regular basis. Yet here I am.
I approach the microphone and don’t know what to say. I don’t think to share the tale of last year’s Rocky outing, or to applaud the audience for being courageously different. Instead, I’m overcome by a feeling of unworthiness. What the hell am I doing, standing up here, behaving as if Rocky and REPO! are on equal footing? I’ve heard plenty of grumbles throughout the year from Rocky diehards, displeased that REPO! is being compared to their favorite film. Have I unwittingly just stuck my neck in a noose? I’m half expecting silence from the audience as I’m introduced. Instead, I get applause. Lots of it. I make a joke that offering a REPO! olive branch tonight would be gay, even for a Rocky audience. I then say thank you about ten times, and take my seat.
Und I Did.
I retreat to the Academy’s balcony where I have a wonderful bird’s-eye view of the screening, South Hadley’s Rocky shadowcast “The Come Again Players”, and the audience. It’s an awesome evening, and I’m thrilled to overhear a couple of REPO!-inspired audience screen callbacks during Rocky, like “Let the monster riiiise!” as Dr. Frank-N-Furter brings Rocky Horror to life, and “90-days delinquent gets you Repo treatment!” as Frank kills Eddie. I’m also happy to say that watching REPO! and Rocky screenings in Massachusetts IS the place to be for Halloween.
Creatures Of The Night.
A big thanks to Bob Adam, Amanda Taylor, Academy of Music, and South Hadley’s REPO! shadowcast “Genetic Imperfection” for having me as a guest and for putting on a great show. Additional thanks to Chelsey Cayer, Geo, Little Mel, and Rachel Zuckerman for all of your help over the weekend. And a huge thank you to the Rocky/REPO! audiences who came out and helped make Halloween weekend amazing. Creatures of night, I applaud you for being courageously different!
November 8th, 2009 at 2:13 am
” I’m also happy to say that watching REPO! and Rocky screenings in Massachusetts IS the place to be for Halloween.”
You’re god-fucking-damn right it is!
Terrance, once again, thank you for everything. You were a blast to be around and we hope you will join us again next year.
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November 8th, 2009 at 2:25 am
p.s.
“MASS-QUERADE”?
Someone needs to sit in the punalty box!
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November 8th, 2009 at 8:23 am
I just have to say I love your movie, your blogs, and you sir.. :::bows:::
I don’t know if I have just been out of the loop, missed it or what.. But I cannot wait for you to do one of these shadowcast midnight performances of Repo! in NYC. Please come here soon!! Post it before you do so I have time to prepare.
I’ve always loved Rocky Horror as well, and you should have no shame in comparing your movie to it. Yes it’s still in the fledgling stages of cult popularity, but I can for sure see it reaching the same status don’t you worry
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November 8th, 2009 at 8:33 am
If you like The Boston Strangler so much you should read The Serial Killer Files. I’m practically done with it, but you’d get a kick out it.
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November 8th, 2009 at 8:36 am
I love getting weird anti-spam words… I get “rent” and start thinking “Wouldn’t it be great if the cast of Rent were all 90 days delinquent?” Anyway, I’m glad you had such a fantastic time in MA, I love how you guys embrace your fans and are so humble about our love for you and your work. We truly, and I think I can say this, all appreciate what you’ve done for us. What you’ve done for me is tell me, finally someone out there is listening to us. Looking forward to more Repo! (and more of The Molting
).
-D.A.-
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November 8th, 2009 at 8:39 am
I also agree. It IS the place to be! It was awesome to meet you and to see a shadow cast of Repo! I hope I can come to another event that you’re going to be at sometime in the future!
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November 8th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Hi Terrance –
It was a pleasure meeting you on the Friday night (we — my wife, my girlfriend and our daughter, a Rotti flanked by two Mags with a Shilo in front — are the 5th photo in your post). You mentioned that you enjoy seeing Repo families at these events (I noticed that there were several other families there, including the one with the ten-year-old Graverobber you enjoyed).
I’m curious, how many younger (let’s say, 12-and-under, like our daughter and the afore-mentioned Graverobber) do you see at your appearances? Have you heard any criticism over such young, innocent children being exposed to such (gasp) immoral violence and depravity, and if so, how do you respond to that?
Again, it was a pleasure to meet you, and we’re glad that you’ve been able to travel the country and personally see the effect that your art has had on your audience.
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November 8th, 2009 at 9:56 am
I had an AMAZING time this Halloween. There was no where I’d rather be than in that theater when 12:36 came around and you wished us a, “Happy Halloween, Mother Fuckers!” =P
I love the picture of the Repossessed! in their Halloween-Repo costumes. We had such an amazing time, thank you so much Terrance. <3
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November 8th, 2009 at 10:58 am
“at risk of my own safety i express” i also recently watched rocky horror…because altho i attended midnight screenings wayyyy back in my day, i never latched onto the movie. i thought maybe it was the LSD that has swayed my opinion all these years…turns out its the music. i love the repo story but i also REVEL in the repo soundtrack! rocky is very 50ish – never my era for tunes. AND while i can appreciate the courage of Rocky, the innovation, i love that our lust for the graverobber is of a more reciprocal nature. it may have inspired you, but Repo goes beyond the beyonds, as its themes are more universal than you guys realize…
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November 8th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Now I’m depressed because I was going to go up to NoHo for Halloween, but a large group of my friends and I went trick-or-treating instead.
Ah, being a reble and treating with twenty year olds got me in trouble yet again.
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November 8th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
“I’m also happy to say that watching REPO! and Rocky screenings in Massachusetts IS the place to be for Halloween.”
aww, yay
it was a blast and you are awesome. please grace massachusetts with your presence again in the near future.
-Heather
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November 8th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Sir, I must thank you for your contribution towards the best Halloween I have ever had.
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November 9th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Ugh, are you stupid or something? Everyone knows you can’t have rape without murder. They go together like strawberries and cream
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November 9th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
You definitely made my entire Halloween (possibly entire year), and I’m pretty certain I can say that on behalf of my two friends who came with me.
Also, *prodprod* where are the pictures of all the kiddos who were dressed up in Rocky regalia you said would be up here?
Regardless, wonderful post, and hope to see you in the area sometime soon!
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November 9th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Terrance, on behalf of Genetic Imperfection and The Come Again Players, and myself, I really want to thank you for joining us and making our Halloween shows that much more special. you’re a blast to be around, and our audiences LOVED you! And thank you for helping us raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor of our fallen cast member, Nick. Halloween was his favorite holiday, and he would have loved to see this!
We hope that you’ll join us for another one someday!
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November 9th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
I cried.
(also, you fail for your total lack of Lotion.)
~Peaches
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November 9th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Terrance, I love your observation about how Repo fans tend to be the kind of people who dress up because they feel like it, and I have an recent personal example of this! I was the scenic artist for the Rocky Horror Show at the theatre I’m currently working at and I went to see the opening of the show a few weeks ago. I really wanted to dress up for the performance, but I was hesitant because I didn’t know if anyone else in the audience would be in costume. After much internal debate, I decided to dress up just for the heck of it and donned the full costume: corset, fluffy short skirts, spikey boots, fishnet arm warmers! Turns out that night was also Patron’s night, so the audience consisted of lots of lots of old, rich, noble looking people and me. And I had a blast! =)
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November 12th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Why not dress up everyday? I\’d do it >.> if i had the money for the cosplay outfits i wanted……….
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November 12th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
What? A trip to Massachusetts and no mention of Lizzie Borden? You can tour the house where the murders took place, and even spend the night there since it’s also a bed & breakfast as well as a museum. Since we’re shooting “Milo” nearby I am definitely going to book a room there for at least one night. The room where the stepmother got 40 whacks.
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November 12th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
finally, FINALLY saw repo the other day and was so very impressed and so of course i wondered, who in the hell wrote this? this is awesome! and after wandering around for a bit, here you are! and low and behold your actually a decent person in touch with your fans. and i’m not exactly sure, but you might get a kick of the fact that there are people out there who go to work and get words like”. . .and a little help comes in a little glass vial. . .” stuck in their head the entire time their working like i do. and as difficult as it is to say *gag cough cough gag* its kind of an inspiration *cough gag gag* ugh, excuse me, to see all the stuff you’ve accomplished. so forgive me if you will, my sappy comment, but all you’ve done so far just makes me want to accomplish more as an artist/ writer myself. so i thank you and i salute you! and looking forward to see whatever creepy little goodies you’ve got up your sleeve crawl out next.
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November 13th, 2009 at 12:03 am
So, this’ll probably sound really cheesy and pathetic, but that was the best night ever. The show was great, and so was getting to talk with you. I mean, how often does a fan get to talk to the creator of their favorite movie? My friends and I LOVE you and hope you come back to MA soon!
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November 15th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Hey Terrance. I wanted to put this out there so you could tell everyone else involved with Repo! This weekend I showed two of my friends Repo! They’re both music majors, they’re roommates and good friends. We were watching when at the end of We Started This Op’ra Shit one guy turned to the other and said “Dude, we are totally writing a rock opera.” It made me really happy, and I thought I’d pass it on.
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November 16th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Yes, please come to the NYC area and do the shadow cast of repo. I just recently was introduced to this, dare I say, masterpiece….I love the look and feel of this film so much bette than rocky. You know it could be the beginning of the resurection of the goth culture, and there needs to me be more of us…where have we all gone?! This is the perfect movie to sounds the battle cry to…thank you for this wonderful flm…where can I get my zydrate?
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