THE PLAYHOUSE CINEMA, PERTH 08/01/99

Well, cinemas are usually fairly dead just after the New Year, even more so if the movie being screened was actually on TV on Hogmanay, but none of this stopped 111 people cramming in to the BEAUTIFUL Playhouse cinema on Friday night. Actually, it had been 114 but apparently there were three people who didn't realise there was a live show happening (Duh!) and couldnae hack it so asked for their money back! Well thrrrrrrrrrrrrp to you !

The cinema had advertised the show as an 18 certificate, on their own recognisance and probably because a) they didn't know exactly what to expect and b) they were scared! Sadly this meant that some of our friends up north, Liam & Co from Ullapool got knocked back when they tried to credit card book over the phone. This was a real shame - everyone knows that the film is only a 12 cert - as we were looking forward to seeing them all (we first met Liam at the Scottish Youth Theatre show in summer 1998). I guess the lesson to be learned is for cinemas not to expect anything too explicit from Rocky, either that or for fans never to tell the truth about their age!

Anyway, back to the show... The "Village People" seemed to go down (ahem!) a treat, especially with the very young looking "18 year olds" in the front row.... Leatherman was the host for the introduction to the film... He gave out a wide selection of great goodies that must have cleared out a whole cupboard somewhere in the cinema offices including Velvet Goldmine Make Up Kits (supercool!) and Avengers/ X Files/ Armageddon T Shirts. Everybody that came in costume, and all the lovely virgins, got a prize, which no doubt sickened the ones who just couldn't make the effort...

Then came the movie, and The Forks performed almost the whole film, omitting Frank Whipping up till Planet Schmanet, due to lack of Dr Scott! However everything else was carbon copied, including for the first time, the (infamous!) bedroom scenes! Our new boys this time were the delectable Eddie who played Brad, and John The Hat as Eddie, (confused yet?) both with great panache for first timers. The rest of the cast were: M (Frank), Martin (Janet), Neil (Riff), Layla (Magenta), Kate (Columbia), Chuck (Rocky) and Ian as the Narrator.

As the show was an evening show (8pm start!) it was an early finish, and as the other (ordinary) movies were still to finish, we had a very welcome cool down after the film.... Its not often we actually get to sit back and relax after the show, as usually by 2am cinema staff are less than easy-going..... However the Playhouse management were absolute angels, and hopefully we'll get to perform there at some point - at the moment the cinema is closed for conversion into a 7 screen multiplex - but we all hope that once building work is complete, we can do it all over again....