Rocky Horror at the Black Box and a meal in Hooligan

The 2011 Belfast Film Festival is well under way and last Thursday night we attended our first Film Festival event of the year. It came only a couple of days before the first year anniversary of us losing our Rocky Horror virginities when we went to see the stage show in the Grand Opera House twelve months ago. This event however was a screening of the film version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) in the Black Box that was attended by Patricia Quinn (Magenta in the film) who gave an interview on the stage before introducing the movie.

Before we made it to the Black Box to meet our friends for Rocky Horror night, Norngirl and I met up after work for a drink at the Duke of York.

After a nice pint of Guinness we headed on to try a restaurant Norngirl had heard good reviews about and that eatery was Hooligan on Talbot Street in the Cathedral Quarter of town. The décor is the thing that will initially stand out, with all sorts of mix-n-match furnishings.

It's quite a sight and probably worth a trip just to sit on who knows what type of chair to take it all in... even the loo's are peppered (like the roof) in newspaper and eclectic art. Then the food arrived. I'd ordered the Fish Finger sandwich and it was absolutley delicious. The chips were perfect and reminded me of those my dad used to cook me when I was young and when he did it he would peel fresh potatoes, par-boil them, fluff them up with a sieve then use sunflower oil in a chip pan until golden brown. I can only assume something similar was done here too - I could have eaten what was a sizeable portion twice over! To go with these home made chips was a sizeable sandwich of breaded fresh fish, garnished and seasoned. It was all absolutely delicious. The presentation of the food was great, no regular plates here, Norngirl's portion of chips even came in a small metal bucket. For pudding we both had the Spiced Plum and Apple crumble with Egg custard. Again the portion size was great and like the main course it was really tasty. For the quality of food and service, the price was reasonable too and I think I would go so far as to say that it is now my new favourite restaurant in Belfast.

Full and happy from our nice meal we walked the short distance to the Black Box met our friends and queued up to present our tickets. Once inside we headed into the main room where there was a small slightly raised stage, a big screen set up to our right and lots of chairs and tables laid out cabaret style between them and the bar.

We found ourselves a table, settled down and got some drinks in and it wasn't too long before some dude whose voice seemed familiar was interviewing Patricia Quinn. The interview was a bit of fun but not the most informative. There were a few random stories, a story of Deep Purple in Dresden and some mention of a memorial Meatloaf didn't attend. Such is the surreal world of showbiz so it seems.

With a fandom styled introduction of the movie from Patricia Quinn we were into the feature presentation of the night as the film started. Like most of the crowd there - we had seen the movie many times before and so, like the stage show, it was one big sing-a-long with the traditional audience participation of heckling the characters.

It was good fun however unlike when I was up dancing with the rest of them at the Grand Opera House last year, I admit that I was one of the few who didn't get up to do the dance to the Time Warp this time. "Booooo!" I know.

I was bopping along in my seat to the songs I like most though and it was great to see the movie on a big screen rather than just on a small TV screen. That really for me is the best bit about the Belfast Film Festival - it gives you a chance to see films as they were meant to be presented and with the audience, who especially in the case of Rocky Horror, really do add to the experience which would never be the same. The funniest audience participantion of the night for instance had to be the during the line "There's no crime in giving yourself over to pleasure" to which the cry from an audience member was "There is in Northern Ireland" or words to that effect.

I really enjoyed the night and it brought back great memories of last years trip to Rocky Horror and also the film festival events. I can't wait now for the rest of the Film Festival events we've booked to go to - like Janet, "I've tasted blood and I want more" - "more, more, more" :)

Losing our Rocky Horror Picture Show virginity

Not last Friday but the Friday before, 7 people gathered at a Restaurant in Belfast City Centre. Their fates from this point on are a little blurry as they became embroiled in a transexual, Transylvanian, extra terrestrial adventure at Belfast's Grand Opera House.

What they do remember is that they had consumed their inter dimensional sonic transducer fuel at Restaurant Olio on Brunswick Street found underneath the Travelodge hotel. It was rather tasty, especially the tangy chili pasta dish that harboured a fair bite. The early evening science fiction double feature at Grand Opera House (GOH) was not long from getting under way as they took to the stairs to find their seats.

Looking around they noticed some people were more scantily clad than others. A Friday night in Belfast often has a few risky numbers on show but with Rocky Horror in town its the men scaring the taxi drivers with revealing outfits. Some of the more dedicated fans seemed a bit cold and should maybe have worn a 3rd sock like the soon to be on stage Brad, but kudos to them for the effort - face paint and all!

Our band of Rocky Horror virgins hadn't really specially dressed for the occasion. Some would say the one known as Simon was representative of the bunch, as he'd seen the movie but only several years ago and couldn't even remember how it ended. At one point they'd all planned to go dressed up, or down as this case would be, he like many thought to be tricky to know what goes, and it had put them off. A shame, but probably the best for their work colleagues. It may have made for an interesting dress down day but a day likely to be followed by a weekend trip to the Job Centre. Basically, like any self respecting virgins, they were playing it safe.

The curtain rose on the back of the opening number and we were introduced to fellow virgins of another kind, Brad and Janet. Soon joining us was a former screen Transylvanian, making a star guest appearance as the Narrator... none other than legend Christopher Biggins.

The show was great - the sexual in your face comedy, whimsical love, hate, life and death plot intertwined with some very talented performers who seemed as dedicated to the interaction with the audience as the audience were to the actors and actresses on stage. Hardly an act went by without those who had either seen the show live already or had just spent too much time looking such things up online (like this rocky horror virgins guide), throwing the lines,  that are seemingly now part of the experience, out into the open within the theatre. Our wee band of virgins were soon getting used to this retro new world of musical theatre that brought the actors to the seats and the audience into the show. Somewhat like a Victorian music hall being audio-vibratory-physio-moleculary transported into the Moulin Rouge. The time warp was hardly over before our almost experienced Rocky Horrored contingent were being mesmerised by yet more transvestite shenanigans. For after a quick break they were jumping right back into bed with it. And so they all flew through this new realm, through space and, who knows, perhaps even time itself. It all went very quickly. Frank-N-Furter, Brad, Janet, Riff Raff and Magenta amongst others had ended their tale, the book had closed on the adventure and now Rocky Horror Picture Show virgins no more, 7 people amongst the masses were brought back to Belfast.

As they left even happier than they had arrived those who had gone dressed up spilled out into the streets and as they passed by the city hall on our Bus, it was a great sight to see the rocky horror spirit walking down the street, heading home. Men in corsets and fishnets, women in plastic and leather dresses with the odd Surgeon, Rocky and Riff Raff close by. Our witnesses were glad to see the realities merge and a bit of repression, if only for a fleeting moment, being lifted from the streets of Northern Ireland. So the next time the newly indoctrinated fans of Rock Horror have chance, they'll be getting into the spirit of it... they're already planning their costumes!