| Volume IV, Issue 0 |
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January 21, 1995
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Midnight Insanity would like to
welcome you to our very special show in
celebration of our SEVENTH Birthday as a
performing Rocky Horror cast. As
promised, tonight's performance features a
Special Performance from Midnight Insanity
above and beyond anything we've done
before, an attempt to catch a mere glimmer
of the past seven years of Rocky Horror,
and also, perhaps a tiny peek into the
future of Midnight Insanity.
. . . 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 |
a show number. The earliest dated program
is Show #132, 7/28/90. By the time I first
saw M.I., in April of 1989, they had already
become a very successful cast, with great
costumes and very talented performers.
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.
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.
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 |
appearances on TV. We've significantly
contributed to all the major U.S. Rocky
conventions, and put on over 350 shows to
date. Now, seven years later, the Mayor of
Long Beach has declared our Birthday to be
"Midnight Insanity Day". Coming from a
society that routinely spits at us, this is
quite a compliment.
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!!!
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!!!
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