September 24, 2025
Our Marketing Intern, Juli Reyes, interviews Gianni Manthey from the Irrational Masters, the shadow cast for Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Egyptian Theatre. They have a special show on Friday, September 26, celebrating the 50th anniversary release of the movie. There is another special showing on Friday, October 31…a Halloween show!
Juli: How would you explain the show to someone who has never heard about it?
Gianni: It’s a cult-classic sci-fi rock-and-roll B-movie musical that refuses to behave. Think midnight movie meets live rock opera. We screen The Rocky Horror Picture Show while a costumed cast—us—acts it out in front of the screen. There’s comedy, music, audience shout-backs, props flying, and a lot of fishnets. It’s half theatre, half party, all chaos—in the best way. All guided by the immortal school of camp and camaraderie.
J: How did the show come to be?
G: Richard O’Brien wrote The Rocky Horror Show as a stage musical in London in 1973, and the film followed in ’75. Fans started going to midnight screenings and found their idea of zen by yelling back at the screen, dressing up, and bringing props. That style of audience participation became the tradition of the shadow cast—local performers like us acting alongside the movie while the crowd plays right along. At its core, Rocky Horror as we know it today is a total DIY extravaganza. It’s all very on par with the minds behind the magic–even if shadow casting may have been a happy accident of sorts.
J: Why is it so important to include the audience?
G: Rocky Horror as we know it is built on breaking the fourth wall. The audience isn’t just watching; they’re much akin to the Transylvanian convention. Their call-outs, their costumes, their toilet paper and toast and laughter—that energy is what keeps the movie alive fifty years later. Including our audience is integral to the whole experience shadow casting is intended to provide. We work as a team that way. Without them, there is no us. It all circles back to the undying spirit of DIY and what that actually means to polite society’s underdogs. Getting together in the way that we’re able to is magic. Especially right here right now in 2025. What a crazy time to celebrate the 50th together.
J: What does it mean to you to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film at the Egyptian Theatre with the loyal fanbase that DeKalb has?
G: It feels like a full-circle moment. The Egyptian is such a gorgeous–and storied–historic theatre. It’s like throwing a birthday party for the world’s most fabulous misfit and inviting the entire town. The Egyptian’s art-deco glow feels tailor-made for a cult classic, and DeKalb’s crowd always shows up ready to shout, sing, and be gorgeously subversive. Sharing this milestone with a community that’s kept both our cast and the “Time Warp” alive for decades reminds me why we keep doing it—it’s proof that unapologetic weirdness never goes out of style.
J: You already have a supportive fanbase in DeKalb, but is there a possibility that the show will go on tour outside of DeKalb?
G: We love our DeKalb crowd, and they’ll always be home base, but Rocky Horror is all about spreading the gospel of the Time Warp. We’ve done a few appearances here and there in neighboring towns as well as at Nightmare on Chicago Street, and had a lot of fun flirting with the idea there. So much so that our next outing as a troupe will be in Rockford next month, on October 16th, where we’ve been invited to share the stage with Barry Bostwick and Patricia Quinn alike (the original Brad Majors and Magenta as featured in the film). We’d absolutely be open to popping up at future events or festivals if the timing’s right. A little road-trip decadence never hurt anyone.
J: After performing for over a decade, what part of the show makes you feel as excited as it did when performing it for the first time?
G: When we hit the “Rose Tint My World” kickline, it’s impossible not to feel a rush of adrenaline. It’s just one of those magical moments that transcend everything else up until that point. The lights flare, the music’s pulsing, and suddenly we’re this glittery rocket of legs and laughter. No matter how many runs we’ve done, that moment still feels like the whole theatre is vibrating on one big, caffeinated heartbeat—it’s the perfect mix of camp and pure joy.
Visit the Irrational Masters website for more information on the cast.
