Oh yes, Long Beach, Rocky Horror is back.
After a 30-year presence at The Art Theatre of Long Beach with Midnight Insanity, a new shadow cast—wittily dubbed Bit of Mustard—has relaunched monthly midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
And while the next iteration of their performance and screening takes place this Saturday, Oct. 26, one thing remains clear. This cast might have a handful of shadow cast regulars (including some from Midnight Insanity itself), but Bit of Mustard wants their cast to represent a new idea of Rocky Horror.
This shadow cast follows a legacy at The Art Theatre of Long Beach—and they don’t necessarily want to mimic it for good reason.
Midnight Insanity might have started at the now-defunct Balboa Theater in Newport Beach in 1988. But it was when the show moved to The Art Theatre in 1991 that the shadow cast—a troupe of dedicated Rocky Horror fans that reenact the film in real-time while the movie screens—became the thing of legend.
While many rumors swirl about the demise of Midnight Insanity—most of which revolve around serious misconduct—Bit of Mustard represents a huge shift in how shadow casts represent not only Rocky Horror as it turns 50 next year, but how they represent themselves.
One of the strongest components they have working for them when it comes to creating a creative space for all, by all? They are an in-house cast for The Art Theatre. What does this allow? Better safety practices, better communication, and direct support to the cast, such as giving access to the space for rehearsals on-site, guiding cast structure, and dealing head-on with conflict resolution.
Win, win.
‘Rocky Horror may be outdated—but casts need to evolve.’
Founded by Jay Hartmann, Bit of Mustard eschews the unnecessary obsession with screen accuracy—that is, mimicking precisely everything about the film, especially the looks, costumes, and body types of its original cast members—in favor of standing up for what Rocky Horror really represents: queerness and the embrace of that very queerness.
“I used to be in a cast with a tiger trap of elitism hidden beneath the stage,” Jay said. “The hierarchy was piercingly visible during its final months. We started Bit of Mustard with the aim of respecting the individuality of everyone who joins and to value what they have to offer. The Rocky Horror Picture Show may be outdated, but casts need to evolve. Nobody is going to miss the fraction of ticket holders who turned up to ogle a bunch of white kids.”
Jay’s point is a powerful one: Shadow casts have been home to some of the most talented seamstresses around. But oftentimes, people would be cast solely because they have a closet full of perfect screen replications of costumes. Or be offered costumes because they bear a physical likeness to the actors onscreen behind them. Ultimately, it’s costly for an endeavor that is meant to not just showcase talent but give people who’ve never been on stage the chance to do so—and with the freedom to wear alternative fashion, the faster cast members can stand in the limelight.
“There’s no crime in taking creative liberties with outfits and comedic bits,” Jay said. “It’s unfair when a few members become the ‘main cast’ within a group just for owning a full wardrobe of duplicates. But it’s truly an egregious insult to the community when cast leads put people onstage based on how white and thin they are.”
Yes, Rocky Horror has always been queer—but the time has come to really own that through its shadow casts.
“Gatekeeping in an environment intended to be colorful and liberating? This malpractice is unsustainable and killing the tradition,” Jay said.
And for Bit of Mustard cast member and trans community leader Devon Jade, who has played several characters in the show across the gender spectrum, it is this type of environment that is needed. It not only allows them to perform without breaking the bank on costuming—”I was able to come right in and start playing parts,” they said—but also the space to pontificate on what Rocky Horror represents in 2024.
“It’s an interesting part of Rocky Horror that I consistently bounce around with—its use of the word ‘transvestite,'” Devon said. “Historically, that word carries a lot of weight and hatred, but I have no issue with its use in the context of the movie. In Rocky Horror, it is strong, it is powerful… And when viewed through the lens of that 50s midnight showing of sci-fi films that often had its villains in fabulous, incredible outfits, I think what I like about it most is the fact that it’s sexy. It’s amazing that a word with such baggage can be a thing of pride here.”
These are just a few of the conversations Bit of Mustard has amongst its members—and that sense of both creative camaraderie and intellectual exploration is one that Indiana Jones De La O, who is also a cast member at the Santa Ana-based shadow cast Kaos, relishes.
“Having been in the Rocky community for three years, you get ideas of how things should be ran because other casts have so much figured out,” Jones said. “Kaos is a lot of fun and we know how to put on a great show in Santa Ana. But with Bit of Mustard, so many people have had new ideas and different takes. Obviously, not all of them work. But the ones that do make such a difference.”
Bit of Mustard is still figuring it all out—and that is perfectly okay because they’re here to stay.
Having just started earlier this spring, Bit of Mustard openly admits they have a bit of work as well. Firstly was the name—which is now clearly figured out. Then it was to have “some sort of bureaucracy,” in the words of Devon, by way of organized meetings. Practice as both understudies and leads. To, well, make it official.
“Bit of Mustard is still figuring it all out,” Jay said. “But there’s so much heart and excitement to be part of the community that makes me excited to see where we go.”
Hopefully more people join. Hopefully more patrons attend. And hopefully, just hopefully, Rocky Horror lives for a generation with a healthy connection to its original roots, but still finds new beauty in the film, and not just the sense of the sword of Damocles hanging over one’s head.
Bit of Mustard’s performance and screening takes place on the last Saturday of every month, like this Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Art Theatre, located at 2025 E. 4th St.
Great article Brian!!! Love that you took the time to write it.