THE STORY – 50 years after “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” electrified audiences, a drag theater company in the once-booming mining town of Rock Springs, Wyoming, stages a shadow cast of the cult classic. Led by the charismatic 25-year-old performer Kenny Starling, the determined troupe spotlights the ongoing fight for queer visibility and acceptance in their community.
THE CAST – Kenny Starling, Kaley Sikora, Gabriel Garcia, Dejanae Westbrook, Tim Robinson, Devin Manfull, Valerie McCoy, Tasha Seppie, Hana Tanaka & Em O’Lexey
THE TEAM – Allison Berg (Director/Co-Writer) & Frank Keraudren (Co-Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 113 Minutes
Last Halloween, I attended – believe it or not – my first ever midnight screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (actually, I went to a special 9 pm showing, because I’m not in college anymore). After previously only watching it in living rooms and at parties with friends, seeing it in the packed Music Box Theatre in Chicago, filled with flying props, screaming fans, and of course, an exuberant shadowcast, was an incredibly joyous experience. It was totally affirming and exhilarating as a queer person, specifically, but I couldn’t help but wonder if it would ever be possible for a piece of popular art to feel so naturally and effortlessly transgressive again. What I hadn’t considered is the fact that, in many parts of the country, “Rocky Horror” is still considered as wildly subversive and even controversial as it was when it premiered in 1975. “Time Warp,” the powerful, joy-filled documentary from director Allison Berg, captures just such a place, following the cast of a fledgling “Rocky Horror” shadowcast as they work to put up a screening and performance in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
It probably won’t come as a surprise to hear that a small town in a state that hasn’t been won by a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964 isn’t exactly the type of place that’s likely to put on a production of “Rocky Horror.” This is exactly why Kenny Starling was determined to do so when they moved from South Carolina to Rock Springs and founded the theatrical and drag group The Starling Company. In 2022, they put on their inaugural production: the shadowcast of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” captured in this documentary.
At almost two hours, “Time Warp” is relatively long for a documentary. But it covers a lot of ground, including the rehearsal process and eventual performance, along with excursions around Rock Springs to see how the town is reacting to this totally unusual happening. Another benefit of the extended runtime is that almost every member of the “Rocky Horror” ensemble gets a chance to tell their story and explain why this production means so much to them. Much of the cast is queer, and getting to work on this show proves to be various degrees of exciting, affirming, and scary to them all in different amounts. One young woman who quit acting after her school theater program cast her in exclusively stereotypical roles for a Black performer finds her passion for acting reignited by the show. And another performer shares an interview with their mom, who first took them to a screening of “Rocky Horror” when she was just four months old. And then there’s the very straight city council member who’s cast to play Rocky, perhaps the skimpiest dressed character in the entire movie. Kenny Starling themself is also an incredibly inspiring central figure, demonstrating enviable bravery in the way they storm through the town promoting and speaking about the show without a second thought. There are also several unique details about this production that would be unlikely to be found in a big city shadowcast, like a cast member who lets the show use his actual motorcycle.
Berg doesn’t shy away from the more uncomfortable realities of doing a show like “Rocky Horror” in a town like Rock Springs. But rather than lingering on the controversy and strife that the production attracts, Berg frames these moments with an emphasis on how they have the potential to indicate positive change. One sequence, in which she interviews an outspoken MAGA veteran, turns from uncomfortably aggressive to shockingly touching, demonstrating the power of a simple, open-minded conversation.
The Starling Company’s production is decidedly humble but grand in spirit, and part of the joy of the film comes from watching them go through the typical motions and practices of a theater. Anyone who’s ever been onstage or worked behind the scenes will find these moments particularly lovely to watch. Before the show starts, we see the cast do a simple “pass the heartbeat” warm-up, holding hands in a circle and sending a squeeze around as a grounding exercise. It’s a common practice in the theater, and many people who’ve done shows will recognize it. But here, their intention of focusing in and working to ignore the outside world takes on extra importance, in a way that’s different than when the exercise is done in theaters performed in more metropolitan areas.
Established as a mining town, Rock Springs is described by one of its residents as “too tenacious to die.” So, too, will the indefatigable spirit of the queer community never go away, no matter what small-minded people may want. “Time Warp,” as the title indicates, tells the story of a town with a voting history that’s stuck in the past, but filled with individuals who are passionately forward-thinking. It’s an empowering look at the power of art to both bring people together in exuberant celebration and change minds, opening eyes to the full, beautiful potential of human creativity and existence.
