Ottawa's Mayfair Theatre in Old Ottawa South drew a full house on Friday for its monthly screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but this time the ritual carried extra weight. It was the first screening since news broke earlier in the week of Tim Curry's death, and the crowd turned what's usually a rowdy midnight tradition into something closer to a wake, one full of fishnets, call backs, and genuine affection.
A Local Tradition With Deep Roots
The Mayfair has been running Rocky Horror screenings for years, and the film's Ottawa fanbase treats them less like a movie night and more like a recurring reunion. Regulars show up in costume, shout the well worn call and response lines at the screen, and dance the Time Warp in the aisles. For a lot of Ottawa moviegoers, the Mayfair's screenings are the closest thing this city has to a proper cult film community, and Curry's performance as Dr. Frank N. Furter is the reason the whole thing exists in the first place.
Curry's role as the corseted, fishnet clad scientist has been a midnight movie staple since the film's 1975 release, and it's the performance most fans immediately think of when his name comes up, even alongside a career that included Clue, Home Alone 2, and voice work in animated films and video games. For the Ottawa crowd that gathers monthly at the Mayfair, though, Frank N. Furter is the character that started it all.
Why It Matters Here
The Mayfair is one of Ottawa's last independent single screen cinemas, and its survival has depended heavily on communities like this one showing up month after month. Friday's screening wasn't officially billed as a tribute, but the timing meant it became one anyway. Attendees who spoke about the night described a mix of celebration and mourning, the kind of send off that only a film with this much ritual attached to it could produce.
For Ottawa's arts and culture scene, moments like this are a reminder of what repertory cinemas offer that a streaming platform can't: a room full of people who know every line, who show up in the same costumes every month, and who can turn a scheduled screening into a genuine tribute on short notice. The Mayfair has hosted Rocky Horror night long enough that it's become part of the city's cultural calendar, tucked in among the more expected offerings of an independent theatre.
What's Next
The Mayfair's Rocky Horror screenings are expected to continue on their usual monthly schedule, and Friday's turnout suggests the tradition isn't going anywhere. If anything, Curry's death may have reminded regulars why they keep coming back, and it may draw a few new faces through the Mayfair's doors next time the film is on the calendar.
Source: CBC Ottawa
