It's better when you are in your 20s and drunk. Trust me. The "time warp" never gets old, though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a foreigner, I don't even understand what you're all talking about. This is a live show from decades ago, but it's still being put on right now and that's why your teenagers go to see it at midnight? Why midnight?
And why does the audience participate?

+1

I have all the same questions and I am not a foreigner! It never appealed to me. I'm 40 btw.

Audience participation is more fun. The theater near me that ran it had a dedicated group of high school students who acted out the roles pretty much every weekend.

Anonymous wrote:As a foreigner, I don't even understand what you're all talking about. This is a live show from decades ago, but it's still being put on right now and that's why your teenagers go to see it at midnight? Why midnight?
And why does the audience participate?

+1

Anonymous wrote:As a foreigner, I don't even understand what you're all talking about. This is a live show from decades ago, but it's still being put on right now and that's why your teenagers go to see it at midnight? Why midnight?
And why does the audience participate?

It's a movie. It is traditional to have late night showings at movie theaters; it encourages a party like atmosphere. Soon after the movie first came out audience participation became popular. Viewers bring props, wear costumes, sing the songs, and shout out responses to the lines in the movie. Sometimes "virgins" (people who have never seen the movie) are pointed out and mildly mocked.

Anonymous wrote:As a foreigner, I don't even understand what you're all talking about. This is a live show from decades ago, but it's still being put on right now and that's why your teenagers go to see it at midnight? Why midnight?
And why does the audience participate?

Midnight showings at the movie theater have been a tradition forever. Since early 80s maybe? The audience gets involved with props, costumes, acting, etc.

As a foreigner, I don't even understand what you're all talking about. This is a live show from decades ago, but it's still being put on right now and that's why your teenagers go to see it at midnight? Why midnight?
And why does the audience participate?

I've never understood it either. It always looked like an acid trip to me

My young 20 something kids love it! They go to the mid-night shows with the audience participation. And they excitedly explain it to me like I have no idea. I just listen. Brings back so many fun memories.

Anonymous wrote:It was the audience participation that made it. We used to go at midnight with our toilet paper, toast, water pistols, newspapers, etc. I caught a bit of it on Fox the other night and remembered all the audience lines (but then they had that fake audience there saying some of them, weird).

+1. Hard to replicate that. The audience lines would often change based on locale and time too. I grew up in a university town and there were definitely some dogs against the local Greek system, and I feel like some against Reagan too. I can't remember them but they seemed very witting and cutting edge when I was 15.

Anonymous wrote:It was about a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transvylvania: a small town alien s/he who came to earth to realize a dream of giving himself over to absolute pleasure.

It's right in the lyrics mate.

Well there it is! Thank you PP

It was about a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transvylvania: a small town alien s/he who came to earth to realize a dream of giving himself over to absolute pleasure.

It's right in the lyrics mate.

It was the audience participation that made it. We used to go at midnight with our toilet paper, toast, water pistols, newspapers, etc. I caught a bit of it on Fox the other night and remembered all the audience lines (but then they had that fake audience there saying some of them, weird).

It's basically so bad it's good.

If Ishtar had multiple musical numbers and was played repeatedly as the midnight movie, it too might have gone down as a camp classic instead of a bomb.

I grew up on the original. Sneaking to watch it around Halloween on MTV. Was overly fascinated with a transvestite but I was a teen then. I caught it on demand with Laverne cox , who might I add is way too much of a woman for a trans role, and had no clue what was going on. 34 here and just clueless. Anyone care to explain?