MARTIN: Reflecting on Tim Curry's legacy

On Aug. 25 actor Tim Curry died at his home in Los Angeles. He was 80. Curry played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the original cast of "The Rocky Horror Show," which debuted in 1973 in London. He then reprised the role for the film adaptation 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show,' which created the definition of a cult following. Curry's characters are often campy, silly and melodramatic. Curry's Frank-N-Furter is a charismatic, chaotic and sexual force, and he defined the role for thousands of performers who followed in his footsteps as Frank. Vicksburg has a connection to Curry in the Westside Theatre Foundation's quasi-annual production of "The Rocky Horror Show." Rehearsals for the production began a couple of weeks ago, and I am enjoying being a member of the cast. My part is small. I'm playing a Transylvanian, a voiceless minion of Frank-N-Furter, connected to his chaotic brain via a hive mind. If you haven't seen it, "The Rocky Horror Show" is a send-up of horror and B-movies from the mid-20th century. The day after Curry's death, we had rehearsal. In the second act, Frank-N-Furter belts out a touching power ballad titled 'I'm Going Home.' It is one of the few moments in the show that can truly give you goosebumps, and we informally dedicated that song to Curry. I got double goosebumps.