,Over 500 patrons, dressed as maids, bikers, mad scientists and transvestites, swarmed the Colonial Theatre to get their fix at the 8th annual Rocky Horror Picture Show on Saturday night.

The yearly performance is one of the Colonial's best-selling events and is part of an international cult obsession with the 1975 sci-fi parody starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick. The live show includes a shadow cast of actors miming and lipsyncing in front of the film as it plays. Audience members are encouraged to participate by bringing props and shouting off-color comments at the screen.

Although live RHPS performances traditionally begin at midnight, The Colonial has found the most success with a 10 p.m. show, according to House Manager Scott Bauman, and it is a quirk that's likely to stay.

As it often does, this year's event opened with a two-part pre-show. First, emcee and main character Brad Majors, played by Phoenixville local Tom Amici, invited 13 costumed patrons on stage, where audience members cheered for their favorite ensembles, ranging from homemade character impersona

tions to a leather daddy to a raunchy "Mrs. Claus." Part two of the pre-show involved picking out "Rocky Horror" virgins who were there to see a live performance for the first time, and in a ritual contest, Brad asked them to deliver their most passionate moans in front of the audience. Winners of both contests received free tickets to future movie showings at the Colonial. Finally, at 10:30, fans readied their prop bags and shout backs as the two-hour performance began.

RHPS first came to the Colonial as part of Cult Movie Night in 2000, an early fundraiser for the restoration of the theater, according to Amici. He said that at that time, the theater just showed the film as they would any movie. When he later asked Colonial director Mary Foote to start a live performance, she eagerly gave him the go-ahead. Their first show was July 7, 2001, and it has been growing ever since.

"Before this, there really wasn't an outlet for 'Rocky Horror' fans in the area," said Amici, who also plays Brad Majors and Dr. Frank-N-Furter as part of a rotating cast on weekends with New York City's RHPS Cast. Since it began in Phoenixville, the show has frequently sold out, with a record of 560 patrons last year. "This show itself has gained a cult following," Amici said.

"I think it diversifies the theatre," said Cat Boyle, a Colonial volunteer since the restoration who proudly sells prop bags each year containing everything the audience needs to participate along with the movie — be it a newspaper for the song, "There's a Light," or a little cardboard hat for Rocky's birthday party. "You can't do this in multiplexes, either," Boyle said. "Can you see the Regal having 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' in theater 13? It's just not done. There's more room to play in a theater like The Colonial. It's good clean fun."