| Volume IV, Issue 0 |
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January 21, 1995
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A Long Time Ago... . . . at a theatre not particularly far away, was a group of youngsters from the Laguna Beach area, about to embark upon an amazing journey. There at the famed Balboa Theatre, they formed the original cast of Midnight Insanity in January of 1988. There were no spotlights, no programs, barely any costumes and no Transylvanians. People learned their parts on stage, or by using a blurry sixth- generation copy of the Japanese LaserDisc . . . complete with subtitles. These were the days when Rocky wasn't (officially) available on video. Costumes grew, props were built, spotlights were acquired, and a whole lotta virgins were sacrificed. Midnight Insanity did not regularly publish programs for their shows until early 1990. Many of the early programs were not dated and did not have |
The Master's Affair Midnight Insanity took their first step towards reaching "World Famous" status at Rocky Horror's 15th Anniversary, "The Master's Affair" on October 20th, 1990. An absolutely huge gala affair was thrown by 20th Century Fox in Beverly Hills, commemorating 15 years of Rocky Horror. Film stars in attendance included Tim Curry, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell, Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf. Midnight Insanity participated in the event as part of the cast performing Rocky that night, to a crowd of over 2000 people, plus coverage on MTV! Guests included Jack Nicholson and Barbie Benton (who was a Rocky Horror Virgin!) Our own Leisa (Columbia) won the costume contest for Best Dressed Transylvanian (the Midget Trannie, who else?), achieving perfect scores from ALL the judges and making Tim Curry's mouth drop. Despite 20th Century Fox's move to release Rocky Horror on videotape, it was a great time for Rocky, and left many of us on the edge of our seats, in anticipation of the 20th. |
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The Balboa Theatre was dealt a premature death in late 1991, due to the constant pounding from the city of Newport Beach, who never really liked us. Our closing night sold out quickly as we crowded over 450 people into a house that officially seated 389. Over 200 people were turned away, some offering to pay $30 after they shut the doors. And at the end of the night . . . Midnight Insanity was homeless. All dressed up with no place to go Loss of a theatre means death for most casts, but not for Midnight Insanity. For us, salvation came from the Art Theatre of Long Beach. In six weeks, we had built a stage, retrieved our copy of Rocky, and put on our first show here at the Art Theatre. Midnight Insanity has become one of the only casts to ever survive changing theatres . . . and that with our Starship Honeycomb in-tact! While at the Art Theatre, we have significantly beefed up our stage lighting, props array, and also added a Fog machine. We've had more special shows / performances than we can count and has made Lingerie Night a Midnight Insanity tradition. In just SEVEN Years... Midnight Insanity has done everything from the Doo-Dah parade to bringing the world to our doorstep. From putting on an AIDS benefit, to making |
Lining up the Eight... Every year it gets a little bit harder to do the same things in a way you've never done them before. Fear not, new soundtracks and other Rocky related songs make up a lot of virgin territory. In the next year, you'll see quite a few things you've never seen before. AND, after years of waiting, the 20th is finally upon us. We're hoping for a truly spectacular convention, exceeding the 15th Anniversary. We'll definitely keep you posted!!! Closing Comments... Midnight Insanity is a non-profit organization. We do not get paid, all cast and crew are voluntary. Your patronage and donations help to support the show by helping pay for the various props and costumes. End of the show applause means a lot to the cast, and some Fan Mail would be even better! See the program for the address. In one fell swoop I'd like to thank everybody who made an effort in Midnight Insanity, either as cast, crew, costumes, props, audience, Denny's or theatre management. We couldn't have done it without you. May the next year bring 52 more shows!!! |