Horror, Whimsy, Hilarity

kay, so to be honest, there are a whole lot of people in Tulsa who think of Chad Oliverson whenever someone mentions The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Or Bob Hendricks. Or Claire Kifer. For the past nine years, one or more of them has been in the annual live production of the ridiculously outrageous, over-the-top piece. Oliverson has been Dr. Frank-N-Furter in every production since 2004. Hendricks has narrated nearly every one, and Kifer's Magenta has inhabited more than half of those shows.

This week, Tulsans will have a chance to revisit Frank's lab as it was originally envisioned: with Tim Curry in a near-afro terrorizing (and nailing) the nun from Dead Man Walking as Circle Cinema -- 12 S. Lewis Ave. -- fires up the projectors Dec. 28 and 29 for some midnight-ish showings of the cult classic.

GABRIEL RUTLEDGE COURTESY/HEATHER CHRISTENSEN

Almost anyone who's attended a screening of this flick does so in costume, with props in hand, ready to shout out things ("Slut!") at the screen, or all three. And all of that is fair game at the Circle, according to Circle Cinema Foundation director Stephanie LaFevers, with one wet exception.

"We don't allow water to be used -- you know, no liquids or squirt guns -- but the dry props are okay," she said. And for the past few years, that's worked pretty well.

This has become something of an end-of-year tradition at the Circle, LaFevers said, so most people know what's what.

"People come in costume, and it's always a fun night," she said. "It kind of takes the place of our midnight movie for December. It's showing in both of our theatres, so we could have a bigger crowd than we've ever had before."

So dress up and head downtown. After pretending to like Aunt Myrtle's Christmas present, you're likely to be in dire need of debauchery.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays at the Circle Cinema. Showtimes are 10pm and midnight, and tickets are available at the box office, by phone at 918-585-3504, or through the website at circlecinema.com.

Gabriel Rutledge, comedian, presented by The Loony Bin

Rutledge abandoned the glamorous life of a pizza delivery guy 12 years ago for comedy. And he sucked.

"You just have to do it over and over again," he said. "It's not like music or a band where you can be a great band after six months. Comedy's not like that. You're going to be horrible for a while. It takes a while to figure out how to be funny, how to get comfortable on stage."

But it would appear that he's overcome that, since he now has a few comedy competition wins under his belt. And perhaps more importantly, he's making a living at it.

"There are a lot of levels of success in comedy," Rutledge said. "I still have a lot to go, but I'm paying the bills with this. My wife stays home. I get to do something I love. It's great."

So yeah, not many comedians can say that.

He'll bring his no-longer-sucking act to the Loony Bin at 6808 S. Memorial, Ste. 234, where he'll do a series of smaller sets starting Wednesday, Dec. 26, and culminate in a full-length show starting at 10:30pm on New Year's Eve, so you'll get to laugh, then get to have your New Year's kiss without distraction.

Tickets to the New Year's Eve show are $25, with some of the preceding sets costing less. Information and tickets are available by phone at 918-392-5653 or online at loonybincomedy.com.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW COURTESY/ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

Processed Silkscreen, presented by Living Arts Tulsa

A set of three artists descend upon Living Arts -- 307 E. Brady St. -- through the month of January to create a collaborative show that hopes to examine the line between art and design. And how better to examine that line than with the silkscreen t-shirt (and silkscreen other stuff)?

Asking what makes something art and what makes something else design, artists Schmickle, Yang, and Live4This (there's no way his mama put the number 4 on his birth certificate) present pieces that they hope will echo the mass-produced things we find on the shelves at the store. They further hope that the work will be transcendent enough to constitute limited-edition works of art.

An interesting touch to this exhibit is how it's displayed. Using items normally associated with shopping, these three artists have chosen to display their works in a retail-esque environment.

Catch this mash-up of high art and pop culture at Living Arts through January. The show kicks off Jan. 4 at 6pm and runs through the 24th.

Big Stuff: The Whimsical Art of Phill Cooper

The Tulsa native and graphic designer displays his oil works, which take a fun look at everyday objects. Cooper hopes to ask the question, "What if the things you take for granted were suddenly in your face?"

If the painting of a giant pepper wearing earmuffs and hovering over a snowscape is any indication, Cooper is looking at those everyday objects in decidedly non-everyday ways, so go check out the work of yet another graduate of the school of art at our own University of Tulsa. You'll be glad you did.

The exhibition is on display in the Gallery of the Performing Arts Center -- 110 E. 2nd St. -- and is open weekdays from 10am to 5:30pm and during events in the Chapman Music Hall. Admission is free.

Send all comments and feedback regarding Arts Experienced to bmorris@urbantulsa.com.