Fishnets, toast, and a 4K restoration of a movie that has never once left theaters since 1975 are all converging on Hennepin Avenue this week. The Rocky Horror Picture Show Spooktacular Tour lands at Minneapolis's historic State Theatre on Thursday at 7 p.m., bringing original stars Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn, and Nell Campbell back to the screen they helped make a cult phenomenon five decades ago.
According to Hennepin Arts, the Minneapolis stop showcases a newly restored 4K version of the unedited 1975 film, and the venue is tightening security around the show's famously chaotic interactive elements. Attendees won't be allowed to bring their own prop bags into the theater; instead, Hennepin Arts will hand out approved prop kits at the door, preserving the tradition of tossing toast, toilet paper, and playing cards without risking damage to the 1921 movie palace. As WJON notes, the night's audience participation also includes a costume contest alongside the usual callbacks and prop-driven mayhem.
A Homecoming for Brad Majors
Bostwick, who played straight-laced Brad Majors in the original film, has described the touring shows as something the crowd itself takes over. Per WJON's report, Bostwick said the audience takes over the party atmosphere once the film starts rolling, calling Rocky Horror a big rock concert on film. He's also said the movie's music and message are why fans keep coming back decade after decade, telling WJON that it encourages people not to stop dreaming or being themselves.
Fans who want more face time with the cast can spring for VIP Meet & Greet packages, which, according to BroadwayWorld, include personal photos and autographs with Bostwick, Quinn, and Campbell before the screening. The outlet also reported that some stops on the tour featuring Bostwick include a live performance of Once in a While, Brad Majors' solo song from the original stage musical that was cut from the 1975 film adaptation.
Local Shadow Cast Carries the Torch
The Minneapolis stop isn't just importing Hollywood nostalgia — it's leaning on a Twin Cities tradition that predates most of its ticket buyers. The live on-stage shadow cast acting for the night comes from Transvestite Soup, a local volunteer troupe that performs monthly Rocky Horror screenings at the Parkway Theater, per the group's own account of the booking. That local performance culture runs deep: Transvestite Soup's historical archive traces interactive Rocky Horror shadow cast performances in the Twin Cities back to the late 1970s, when groups like The Midnight Hour first staged them at the Uptown Theatre.
The tour itself is a massive undertaking. BroadwayWorld reported that the production was created by producer Scott Stander and The Stander Group as a 40-city Spooktacular tour crossing the United States and Canada for the 2026 Halloween season, with original cast members rotating across stops. Minneapolis is only one node in that sprawling network — Hoodline previously covered another tour stop in Charlotte also featuring Bostwick, and a live interactive screening in Detroit earlier this year.
Inside the State Theatre's Century-Old Walls
The venue hosting Thursday's show carries its own history. The State Theatre opened in 1921 as a vaudeville and movie palace, seating 2,181 patrons and originally featuring the city's first well-driven air conditioning system, before undergoing an $8.8 million restoration in 1991. The theater is run by Hennepin Arts, the nonprofit that officially rebranded from Hennepin Theatre Trust in June 2024 to better reflect its expanded focus on local concerts, comedy, and community arts programming, as reported by KARE 11.
The film itself carries a distinction few movies can claim. As Britannica reporting relayed by Hoodline has noted, The Rocky Horror Picture Show holds the world record for the longest continuous theatrical release in film history, having remained in movie theaters non-stop since its September 1975 premiere despite initially bombing at the box office. That staying power is why WJON described the movie as the longest-running theatrical release in film history in its own coverage of Thursday's Minneapolis stop.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. show remain available, with the full slate of prop kits, costume contest, and pre-show meet and greet built into the night's programming. For Twin Cities fans who've spent years doing the Time Warp at the Parkway with Transvestite Soup, Thursday offers a rare chance to do it in the same room as the people who put Frank-N-Furter's castle on screen in the first place.
