‘Rocky Horror’ remake: Is it time to do the time warp again?

In the predawn hours of a mid-April night, punky revelers weary from a spirited session of jumps to the left, steps to the right and vigorous pelvic thrusts were scattered on a ballroom floor at Casa Loma, a fearsome Gothic-style castle. High above the bodies, elevated on a crane, stood a gyrating Laverne Cox, who was dressed in a black gown and an enormous discshaped headpiece. Gradually lowered to the ground, Cox met the path of a virginal couple trying to back away from the weirdness. Thereshe extended a hand and sang her fateful first line: “How doyoudo?”

This was a c o ntemporary take on “Sweet Transvestite,” the boundary-breaking number from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” the campy 1975 movie musical. It is here that viewers are introduced to its central character, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a crossdressing pansexual alien scientist who, one rainy evening, brings to life an artificial creature designed for carnal pleasures and seduces a newly engaged boyfriend and girlfriend.

At its original release, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (adapted from Richard O’Brien’s stage musical “The Rocky Horror Show” and directed by Jim Sharman) found few converts. It flopped, despi tei ts spirited rock ‘n’ roll score and early memo- rable performa ncesfromSusan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Meat Loaf and especially Tim Curry, who originated and defined the role of the lascivious, irresistible Frank.

Yet the fil m, with its shaggy production values and odd pacing, became a cult hit at midnight showings. It was embraced by fans who added their own callback dialogue, who threw toast and