| I stumbled across the stage version on a trip through LA in 1974. It was playing at the Roxy, a rock club that had been turned into a theater for the show, one that I suspect mirrored what had been done in ROCKY's original venue, the Royal Court's Theatre Upstairs. Graham Jarvis, a regular on a popular TV show, MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN, was the narrator and Meat Loaf played not only Eddie but also Dr. Scott. The highlight of the show had to be Tim Curry's entrance. You first heard him from behind the audience at the back of the room. There was a long runway that led to the stage and he paraded down it after throwing off his cape. At the point in the song, "Sweet Transvestite," where he says "I see you shiver with an-ti-ci--" he held that pause for what seemed like a minute, chuckling the while, before barking out "PA-TION!." The audience, me included, lost their mind. There was a reason that the billboards in Hollywood proclaimed that "Curry is LA's Favorite Dish!" |
