First Posted: 10/22/2014

LUMBERTON — For many people, Halloween is synonymous with wholesome traditions like carving pumpkins and passing out candy. For fans of the cult musical, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” the holiday is a chance to dress in drag and “do the Time Warp again.”

Purple Door Productions will hold its third annual run of “Rocky Horror” with a pair of midnight performances on Friday and Saturday.

“It’s the optimum adult Halloween show, there’s no doubt about it,” said Jeanne Koonce, the theater’s artistic director. “It seems to grow bigger each time we do it.”

Written as a counterculture send-up of B movies from the 1950s, “The Rocky Horror Show” premiered at London’s Royal Court Theater in 1973. It tells the story of a couple who find themselves trapped in a castle where a cast of idiosyncratic characters have gathered for a convention.

At the castle, the couple meet Dr. Frank N Furter, who famously introduces himself as a “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania.” What Furter fails to mention is that he also happens to be an axe murderer, mad scientist and sex-crazed alien.

A film adaptation of the musical was released in 1975. Directed by Jim Sharmon and starring Tim Curry, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” premiered to little fanfare, but eventually built a large following through word-of-mouth. The comedy is now widely considered a quintessential “midnight movie.”

“It was probably one of the first, straight ahead rock-and-roll-type movies to really hit,” Koonce said. “It just caught on in a very strange way. I think it spoke to the generation and took hold.”

Koonce says that people who discovered “Rocky Horror” during their formative years continue to harbor deep affection for the film.

“People have grown up with it. There’s a whole group of people who were in high school or college when it came out and it became their ‘Grease.’ They’re still connected to it, maybe because it reminds them of when they were in college,” she said. “People who talk about ‘Rocky’ say they saw it as a sophomore in college with their friends during a midnight showing.”

The theater’s previous productions of “Rocky Horror” were well-received by audiences, according to Koonce.

“A lot of people know the movie, so they know exactly what to say when prompted,” she said. “Last year, we had people doing huge chunks of the dialog right along with us.”

Performances of “Rocky Horror” tend to be highly interactive affairs, and Koonce says that Purple Door’s take will be no different. The theater is urging audience members to dress up as their favorite characters and bring their own props to the show.

“It’s done in a really small space, so a lot of it is up-close and personal,” Koonce said. “Costumes are requested, but participation is required.”

Though “Rocky Horror” is meant to be an over-the-top romp, Koonce says the all-local cast isn’t just goofing around during rehearsals. The actors are taking this tale of a cabaret-loving transvestite from outer space very, very seriously.

“The people who do it want to do it well,” she said. “Comedy takes a lot of work, and timing is especially difficult. We have a very proficient cast.”

Purple Door Productions is located at 209 N. Elm St. in downtown Lumberton. For information, all 910-258-0787, or visit purpledoorprod.wix.com.