The last time I was part of “The Rocky Horror Show,” I wore a black corset. Two decades later at Oasis and Ray of Light Theatre’s latest immersive revival of Richard O’Brien’s beloved 1973 stage musical at Oasis nightclub, I wore a white bridal veil.
San Francisco, CA
How revisiting ‘Rocky Horror’ at S.F.’s Oasis reminded me what it means to belong
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Tony Bravo at Oasis for “The Rocky Horror Show” in San Francisco on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. ChronicleHaving traded my libertine youth for a happy married life years ago, the symbolism felt fitting.
“The Rocky Horror Show”: Book, music and lyrics by Richard O’Brien. Directed by Jason Hoover. Through Nov. 1. Two hours, 20 minutes. $45-$108.58. Oasis, 298 11th St., S.F. www.rayoflighttheatre.com
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Back in college, I played the lead of provocative mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, originated by Tim Curry. On Saturday, Oct. 11, during opening weekend of the South of Market venue’s final full production before closing at the end of the year, I was pulled on stage for the part of Betty Monroe (If the character doesn’t ring a bell, it’s because she’s only in a few seconds of the show and 1975 film.) Reading my vows alongside Tim Budding, the audience member enlisted to play the groom, Ralph Hapschatt, reminded me once you’re a part of the “Rocky” family, that connection remains.
For anyone who knows the show about the Transexual Transylvanians who ensnare, seduce and morally liberate the square Brad and Janet (played here by Julio Chavez and Lisa Frankenstein), family might not be the word that comes to mind. But that’s what this production, and the entire global “Rocky” fandom can feel like.
D’arcy Drollinger stars as “Frank” in “The Rocky Horror Show” at Oasis in San Francisco on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. ChronicleWhile the original London stage show was an unexpected hit, the film adaptation — starring Curry, O’Brien, Little Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn and Meatloaf reprising their roles, alongside Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon as Brad and Janet — was a mainstream flop.
By 1976, however, it found a following at Waverly Theater in New York City, where midnight screenings featured “shadow casts” recreating scenes as audiences shouted back in response to the dialogue. Long before Oasis owner — and veteran Dr. Frank-N-Furter — D’Arcy Drollinger had the idea of reimagining “Rocky” for the club, audience participation was already a key part of any viewing.
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As the film celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, its legacy is being reevaluated. When I performed in my college production, the musical wasn’t always taken seriously. It was seen as camp (it is), vulgar (ditto) and unserious (wrong!). But underneath the sexual anarchy, it’s always been about outsiders searching for belonging, and generations have found that sense of community at “Rocky” screenings and revivals around the world.
“I think people can be dismissive of it because they don’t know where it came from and they don’t know the history,” director Jason Hoover told me. “It’s like the history of Oasis; ‘Rocky’ offered a safe haven for people to be who they want to be.”
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Tony Bravo at Oasis for “The Rocky Horror Show” in San Francisco on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. ChronicleQuinn, who famously played Magenta onstage and in the film, shared the same sentiment with me in an interview last year.
“Years ago at a convention, a girl came up to me with tears in her eyes. She had an arm that was disabled, and she said, ‘This film has changed my life,’” Quinn recalled. “And that’s the first time it ever meant anything to me. It obviously meant that she was accepted in the crowd.”
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After the “Rocky” wedding scene on Saturday, the audience was ushered to the main stage. Among a crowd where many were dressed as characters from the show, it was hard to differentiate actors from audience members. Sitting on a couch near the stage, I asked actor Trixxie Carr if she was the “real” Magenta when she draped herself across me before realizing that yes, she was indeed playing the role.
Although it’s been years since I’ve been to a live production, the callbacks to the dialogue quickly returned to me. I’m generally not an audience participation person, but “Rocky” is the exception. I danced the “Time Warp” and got a (chaste) lapdance in the bathroom from a gogo girl. The only time I drew the line was eating a hot dog handed to me from a gloryhole, because I’m a vegetarian.
By the time we reached the finale, I was singing along to the show’s central anthem, “Don’t Dream It, Be It.” It was emotional revisiting those lyrics. I’ve gotten to live so many of the dreams I had as that college kid in a corset, including finding a place like Oasis where I could be part of a weird, wonderful community.
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Tony Bravo with Lisa Frankenstein, who stars as “Janet” in “The Rocky Horror Show” at Oasis in San Francisco on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. ChronicleBut with the club closing on New Year’s Eve, that dream is coming to an end.
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Clips of past Oasis and Ray of Light “Rocky” productions played as Drollinger sang the ballad “I’m Going Home.” Cheetah Biscotti as Columbia and Ryan Patrick Welsh as the Criminologist brought me to the piano beside Drollinger where I joined in on the chorus. I was grateful this place — and this show — had been a home for so many.
At the end, Drollinger and the cast surrounded me on the couch.
“It’s breaking my heart every night,” he whispered to me about the impact the show is having on him during this run through Nov. 1.
My heart was breaking too, but in a beautiful way. Some people never get to find their “Rocky” or Oasis, but I found both.
A California sea lion pup found last week on a San Francisco street corner is malnourished but “active and quite feisty,” The Marine Mammal Center said Monday.
The sea lion, believed to be about 10 months old, had apparently wandered into city’s Outer Sunset neighborhood and was discovered early Thursday morning, authorities said.
The pup was spotted near 48th and Irving Streets, one block from Ocean Beach and Sunset Dunes park. A trained responder from the Marine Mammal Center was joined by San Francisco park rangers and police officers to safely corral the pup, now named ‘Irving’, into a carrier crate.
Dubbed ‘Irving’ by his rescuers, Irving weighed in at 40 pounds and is considered malnourished, the Marine Mammal Center said.
“The sea lion is active and quite feisty which is a positive initial sign in terms of general behavior,” the center said in a news release on Monday.
During an exam by veterinarians, a series of blood samples were also taken to determine whether there’s any underlying ailment.
Irving is being tube fed a fish smoothie blend two times per day to boost hydration and weight; offers of whole herring will also begin shortly.
The quick actions by police, recreation and parks staff and Ocean Avenue Animal Hospital gave the young sea lion a second chance at life, said Lauren Campbell, animal husbandry manager at The Marine Mammal Center.
“As a roughly 10-month-old pup in his first year of learning how to forage on his own, this animal has a long road to recovery due to his severe malnutrition,” Campbell said. “We are hopeful that in the coming weeks with continued specialized care that this pup starts to make positive strides toward recovery and release.”
Irving will be held in the Center’s Intensive Quarantine Unit until clearing medical protocols, before likely being transferred this week to a traditional rehabilitation pool pen. A long-term prognosis and potential release timeline are not currently known.
After Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants headed back to the West Coast. They’re going back to the Bay Area, too.
The Giants have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Oracle Park starting Tuesday night.
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So, San Francisco probably wanted to get out of Washington, D.C., with a win. That didn’t happen at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.
Nationals reliever Andrew Alvarez, the third pitcher used by the team on Sunday, picked up the victory with 4 1/3 innings of work. Giants starter Robbie Ray absorbed the loss, falling to 2-3 this season.
Ray worked six innings, giving up seven hits, three runs (all earned), walking one, and striking out seven Nationals. If the Giants’ offense had found a way to tack on some runs, then Ray’s outing wouldn’t have looked so bad.
The Giants’ bats, though, had eight hits. The big number for Giants manager Tony Vitello to look at in the box score after this one was, well, pretty big. San Francisco left 10 runners on base on Sunday, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. This indicates that San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to score some runs.
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They just didn’t get the job done.
Let’s go to the bottom of the fifth with the Giants and Nationals in a scoreless tie. With nobody out, the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz connected for his third double this season. Nasim Nuñez scored to put Washington up 1-0.
With one out, Curtis Mead sent a Ray pitch over the left-field wall, a two-run blast that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead.
San Francisco had a scoring threat in the top of the eighth inning. With runners at first and second base and nobody out, Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play. Matt Chapman, who was on second base, went to third. But the Giants were unable to bring him home.
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Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Giants, producing half of the Giants’ hits.
The Giants fall to 9-13 this season, sitting in fourth place in the National League West Division. The Nationals’ record goes to 10-12, good enough for third place in the National League East Division.
All eyes now turn toward Oracle on Tuesday night. It’ll be a chance for two longtime rivals to renew their rivalry.
Baseball fans know that the Giants-Dodgers matchups usually are must-see TV.
That’s probably going to be the case once again as Giants fans watch their team battle the Dodgers. Those lucky to have tickets to the three-game series at Oracle Park will show up in Giants colors, hoping to see Los Angeles head back to Southern California with either a series loss or a Giants’ sweep.
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Buckle up, Giants fans. It’s about to get rowdy at Oracle Park.
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