This Halloween season, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is back where it belongs: on the big screen, with audiences shouting, singing, and throwing things at all the right times. And for Seattle fans, the experience is extra special: Barry Bostwick, the original Brad Majors, is coming to host The Ultimate Halloween Experience at the Paramount Theatre on October 28.
The event includes a screening of the unedited 1975 cult classic, complete with live shadow cast (Seattle’s own Blue Mousketeers), audience participation, and goody bags. “Come up to the lab and see what’s on the slab!” as the invitation goes.
From George Washington to Brad Majors
For many, Barry Bostwick will forever be the buttoned-up Brad — half of Rocky Horror’s bewildered couple. But my first memory of him wasn’t in a corset. It was 1984, when he starred as George Washington in the sprawling eponymous TV miniseries. Bostwick laughed when I brought it up.
“It was a miracle I ever got that part,” he joked. “They hadn’t seen me in my bustier and high heels.”
Before Rocky Horror, Bostwick was already making Broadway history as the original Danny Zuko in Grease. He lost the film version to John Travolta but went on to a career that spanned everything from historical dramas to sitcoms. He admitted, though, that he’s happiest when he gets to play funny. “I’d love my next gig to be a comedy series, like Spin City back in the ’90s,” he said.
Filming Rocky Horror: Cold castles and hot water
Looking back on the now-iconic shoot, Bostwick doesn’t glamorize it. “It was very low budget,” he recalled. “We were at Bray Studios in Windsor, where they filmed those old Hammer horror movies. We even shot in the castle next door, which is now a boutique hotel. But it was freezing. No toilets — just porta-potties outside.
“We had to do the floor show on a wet stage in high heels, and some of us had never worn them before. Susan [Sarandon] got pneumonia. Thank God I was comfortable in my underwear — but not being wet all the time!”
Still, he has a fond memory of the pool scene. “What made the water hot was everybody in it — kissing, hugging, rolling around. It was Frank-N-Furter’s fantasy, and I was 100% in, bustier and all.”
A cult classic fueled by fans
The movie might have been made in five weeks, but it has lived for nearly five decades, thanks to its audience. “It’s the fans who created this phenomenon,” Bostwick insisted. “We just made a little movie. Then I walked into a theater a few years later and they were throwing stuff and screaming at us.
“My best nickname ever came from it: I’ve been called an ‘asshole’ for 50 years — and always with love.”
He still marvels at the generations who keep showing up. “I’ve seen grandmothers, parents, kids — all loving the same film. A 14-year-old told me the other day, ‘This is my favorite movie of all time.’ I said, ‘How many movies have you even seen?’ But that’s the power of it. It changes people. It makes them question things about themselves and the world. That’s a legacy I’m proud of.”
Frank-N-Furter: Villain, victim, or something else?
Ask Bostwick which role he’d want if he could do it all again, and he doesn’t hesitate: “Frank-N-Furter. Everybody wants to play Frank. He’s despicable in how he treats people, but by the end, you almost feel sorry for him. That’s a wonderful hill to climb as an actor. And who doesn’t want to strut around like Tim Curry for a night?”
Still, he bristles at interpretations that strip away the danger. “If you play Frank just for laughs, it becomes cartoonish. The brilliance of Rocky Horror is that it mixes camp with darkness. At its heart, it’s a party with great rock-and-roll songs. But layered underneath, especially in the ’80s during the AIDS crisis, it became a voice for the LGBTQ+ community. People found themselves in it.”
Fifty years later: Where are Brad and Janet?
Asked to imagine where his character ended up, Bostwick chuckled. “Janet probably grew into a modern, independent woman. Brad? He stayed a confused little boy. Remember his line, ‘Help me, Mommy’? That says it all.”
Now, as Bostwick tours with anniversary screenings, he embraces the chaos. “Every show is different. Fans have seen the movie hundreds of times, memorized every callback, and still find ways to add something new. That’s the magic. We created something simple — a garage-band musical with campy characters — and the world made it timeless.”
For him, the Rocky Horror ride is far from over. “I think people put too much thought into explaining it,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s just a party. And 50 years later, we’re still invited.”
The Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Spectacular Tour hits Seattle's Paramount Theatre on Tues, October 28. One hundred VIP tickets for a meet-and-greet with Barry Bostwick are available at each screening.
Go to https://www.5thavenue.org for info and Tickets.
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