FAQ for THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW

We’re so excited to present THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, the OG cult-classic rock-n-roll sci-fi musical, at the Straz Center through Aug. 4. Tickets are going VERY FAST with most shows reaching capacity. Please note: prices increase by date and seating location according to demand and so make a plan and book ASAP to avoid sellouts and higher prices. 

We’re getting questions, so here are answers. We’ll continue to add to this as we get more queries. Last revised 7/19/24 at 4pm.

What’s the runtime?

The show is approximately 2 hours long, including a 20 minute intermission. 

Is there a midnight performance?

No. We’re old. Kidding, not kidding. The truth is we can’t do a midnight show and still have the industry standard time off between that performance and the matinee the next day. And we’re old.

Is there an age restriction?

No. Jobsite does not offer age recommendations or trigger/content warnings but hopes any potential guest to any show does research to make the best informed decision for themselves and anyone they want to bring. If we can help in that, ask about your particular concerns. We can say the show contains no nudity (not even the nipple-slip from the movie) and minimal adult language (there’s the lyric “a mental mindf*ck can be nice”). However, The Rocky Horror Show is about a sex-crazed alien from the planet Transexual in the galaxy of Transylvania — so you do the math. Well, (spoilers) a guy gets killed with a pick-axe and there is some death by laser gun, but let’s be real no one in America cares about violence. Rocky Horror has been around for some 52 years, so it’s not like there isn’t plenty of info out there.

Do you have info on the cast, band, and production team?

Yep. Here.

Can I take photos/video during the show?

Absolutely not while the show is in progress. Feel free before/after the show or during intermission. Guests recording the show in any way will be asked to leave. But why do that when we have the entire show professionally documents? Download all these you want.

Are costumes allowed?

Of course, we encourage folks to dress up and come ready to have fun! Don’t dream it, be it!

Wait, do I have to dress up?

Absolutely not. Do you.

What about props?

A production-themed prop/swag bag is on sale for $10 in the lobby (t-shirts for $25!), so leave your super soakers and toast at home. We ask everyone respects the venue by NOT bringing in things/making a mess. Anyone blatantly disrespecting the space (including the stage) will be asked to leave.

Can I sing along?

Were you not going to if we said no? Where’s that Les Mis meme showing every part in the show being played by “The Girl Behind Me?” Kidding aside, singing along with actual lyrics is likely more ok than singing along at the top of your lungs with all of your own AP/Weird Al-style lyrics. Please note the music will be played differently (keys and tempos), and there will be different lyrics/verses/whole songs from what you may know.

Can I call out AP lines?

Yes, of course, but with caveats — mostly aimed at bad drunks and/or shadowcast AP-edgelords who can’t accept this experience isn’t about them.

THIS ISN’T THE MOVIE. Timings won’t be the same, the music is a faster, there are fewer pauses, the script is not the same (Rocky talks!) or in the same order, there are different verses and songs from what you know from the movie. Many AP lines for the film are based on visual cues that will not be present on stage and so that thing you’re yelling out won’t even make sense. We say this to underscore the majority of your perfectly-timed callbacks built up over the years at shadowcast screenings aren’t going to work here. Case in point: a woman at a preview just kept screaming “nipple” for several minutes over all the dialogue in a scene completely different from the film. There is no nipple in our show. 

THIS IS NOT A MOVIE, it’s a live show with professional actors, musicians, and technicians who worked hard to make you a cool thing that’s intentionally not the movie. Movies don’t care how much much you scream, how loud you scream, or what you scream. Actors, and the audience seated around you, will.

Let’s also be real, a lot of those old callback lines are cringey AF, don’t be vile. Guests disrespectful/disruptive to the performers or the audience around them will be asked to leave. 

People can’t behave, this is Florida, why are you allowing AP callbacks?

We thought about it, we swear. A lot. But, we settled on that this IS part of the experience now and the show might be a little boring without any AP. We’ve also been at this for two weeks now and people are being cool. Promise.

We just hope anyone wanting to be the center of attention/compete with/outright heckle the cast will read all this and ask why they’d come.

This sounds lame, Rocky is all about Anything Goes, no-holds-barred AP.

Don’t come! 🙂 Also, that’s not a question and you’re wrong. The *movie/shadowcast* experience is all about that, so if that’s what you want allow us to recommend the local shadowcast group Hell on Heels — it’s a lot cheaper than a theater ticket! 

We’re asking stodgy theater folk and those used to the unbridled film experience to meet in the middle and walk a weird, wonderful like with us — we promise a good time!

I’m confused, what the heck is AP and why are you making a big deal about it?

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW was a successful stage musical in London, New York, and Los Angeles before being adapted into a movie, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. That film flopped (twice), but then this thing happened where people starting showing up in costume, acting along in front of the screen, and yelling out things timed with the movie. AP = Audience Participation. Most know ROCKY HORROR through the participatory movie experience, and a lot of that has now bent back and filtered into the vibe of the show even when performed live. You don’t need to know anything about the movie or AP to come and enjoy this amazing show!