On Thursday, Oct 28th I had one of the most surreal experiences of my life. It was either someone's dream come true...or some people would think of it more as a nightmare! My dear friend Jenn ( I have a few, so let me clarify: the one I met working at Duke who has now moved out to CA and works for "TPT" The Painted Turtle) got me a ticket to a star-studded performance that benefits her camp. I had NO clue what I was getting into! Drum roll please...the event was the 35th Anniversary of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Wiltern.
The evening started with Jenn and her co-worker Scott coming by my place to change into their costumes. I missed the memo about dressing up...but oh well! This was also the first time I got to see Jenn since I visited her in June. (This is the part where we break out singing "Reunited and it feels so good...") We headed to Koreatown to meet up with some of their TPT camp friends...but after an incredibly awkward few moments of sitting in the restaurant, where no one spoke English, and where the menu was pasted on the wall with only the words "Intestine" and "Spleen" in English, accompanied by a horrible stench! Needless to say, we didn't last long and rounded the corner to a more pleasant smelling "Korean Sushi" place.
After a yummy dinner we crossed the street to The Wiltern, which is an incredible Art Deco theater in LA. I was not prepared for the sights I was about to see! I had never even heard of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) before moving out here, so I'm sure you can imagine my shock and reaction to all I was about to see. I know that some of you are probably laughing at your image of my shocked face and some of you are probably wondering what all this build up is about. Let me explain, this play/movie is tells the story of a young couple whose car breaks down, leaving them stranded at a castle, filled with dancing and singing transvestites! There is a cult-like following across the world for this movie, and the audience's costumes were spot-on! It was quite a sight to behold even before the show began! The performance itself was a star-studded shadow play, meaning the movie was playing on a screen above the stage while it was being acted out move-per-move below. The celebrities fit in when it came to speaking and singing roles. Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Leah Michelle, Matthew Morrison, Ricki Lake, Julius McMahon, and George Lopez were among the most notable...and that's just to name a few! This was definitely a once in a lifetime experience! On any other occassion this would not have been "my sort of thing", but I had such a great time! I wasn't expecting it to be so interactive with the audience. There are these slight, dramatic pauses in dialogue that the audience have perfectly timed out particular phrases to say that fit both what the character just said, and then also the next line. To say that it was hilarious, is equal to saying that it was inappropriate. I was really impressed by the perfect timing, and the quality performance that the celebrities delivered! The music was fantastic...but I should've expected it since 2 of GLEE's biggest stars were there!
After the performance we lingered around, finally sneaking our way into the after party/costume ball. The foyer of the theater had been transformed into a banquet hall, catered by Wolfgang Puck (yummy!) and it was a great opportunity to people watch, which is one of my favorite activities. Again, the costumes were just incredible...and I'm not talking about the actors and actresses! After milling about, Jenn, Scott, and I snuck into the main floor of the theater which had been converted into a lounge, with 2 full bars, lots of plush velvet couches, a dancefloor, a dj on stage mixing music for circ de soleil transvestites to twirl through the air...it was one of the strangest places I'd ever been. As we mingled, trying to act like we belonged we spotted Danny DeVito by one of the bars. The 3 of us approached him, and at least Jenn and Scott can say something to the effect of "I work for the camp, thanks so much for doing this for the kids" but what do I have? After taking their pictures with Danny he motioned to me for my turn. I was shocked, I actually bent down some so we'd be eye level...crazy right?!? (In case you're wondering, I'm only 5"1'.) I think I mumbled something really silly about "I loved you in Matilda" and as I turned to say thank you he pulled me close and kissed me on the cheek! Look, I don't get much action so I'll take a kiss on the cheek any day (no matter the age!). I'm ashamed to say that I then caught "celebrity fever" and wanted to just go meet all of them. Next on the list was Matthew Morrison of GLEE (for Lori).This "celebrity fever" was such a weird feeling and in trying to put myself in check I had to ask myself the following questions, why does it matter so much that I meet them? Or that I get a picture with them? What am I proving to people? What am I proving to myself? Why are they more important than me? So as I'm sitting on the couch, mulling this over I look up to see Matthew Morrison on the couch across from me, talking with Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls, a guy from Private Practice standing at the coffee table infront of me, and then this person comes up and starts shaking their booty in my face (totally ruining the surreal moment for me!) This "dancer" was none other than Ricki Lake, yes, former talk show host, turned Broadway performer. All I wanted to say was "Look, I remember when you were fat and had a talk show, I'm really proud of you for losing the weight, but could you shake it somewhere else!?" Instead, I just glared at her. Once I could finally feel my feet again (the painful price you pay for wearing new heels all over town) I headed down to the dancefloor where Jenn was being twirled around by men in drag and speedos! Little miss dancing queen was having a fabulous time! We ended the evening with everyone performing "The Time Warp" (a dance from the movie) which was a blast! It was such a surreal experience and everyone needs a crazy story like this! I never expected to see A list celebrities, let alone meet them, and even get kissed by them! Haha...even telling it now, I feel like it's so unrealistic that people think I must be talking about a strange dream I had. Glad I have pics to prove it!
I'm still having issues uploading pics, so please check them out on my facebook page!
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