I grew up with the original Roxy cast recording of Rocky Horror Show; Tim Curry, Meatloaf, upbeat rock riffs… As a little kid it sounded like normal science fiction stuff. As a teenager I got to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show movie, still starring Tim Curry and meatloaf; the songs were more languid in the movie version, but it is still iconic. I never wound up seeing the production live.

2024 is the 50th anniversary of the original musical, and back in December Instagram served me up ads informing me of the Germany leg of the anniversary tour. The closest showing to me was in Mannheim, and there were still some decent seats available at the time, so I bought one.

I had no idea at the time that I would be in the midst of moving into and furnishing my house, but I still headed out Saturday afternoon driving East on the 6. The show would be in the Rosengarten Congress Center in Mannheim, a gorgeous art deco building toward the center of the large city on the bank of the Rhine.

The drive was gorgeous, even passing a half-ruined castle right by the side of the Autobahn. The speed limit dropped in that area due to a low mountain pass, but it gave me a moment to appreciate the view of the Rhineland wine country.

Arriving at the Rosengarten, I got my Pre-Show Pretzel (if you don’t have pre-show pretzels, what are you even doing) and Sprudel Wasser, and headed to my seat

The show was excellent, the cast comfortable with their roles and singing beautifully. I wasn’t expecting to get a bit emotional when hearing the familiar tunes live, in a theater in Germany, the outsider and alien themes of the show somehow reflecting my own status as a foreigner and outsider in this land. The narration was in German, and the crowd played along with the show, squirting water, throwing confetti, and participating where appropriate.

It was quite the sight to watch middle-aged German men doing the Timewarp again, but I think we should refrain from getting strung out by the way folks look, and not judge books by their covers.

After the show I made my way out of Mannheim. The castle passed earlier was now illuminated in red light in the dark. Unfortunately my Hyundai Tucson appeared to night like that particular mountain pass and struggled to keep speed up the hill. The check engine light came on, and I thought, well there’s something else I’ll have to look into when I get home.

Unfortunately the car thought that was not good enough and lost power as the check engine light started flashing. Apparently that means “EMERGENCY DO NOT DRIVE” so I had to pull off at a rest stop and call a tow truck. A couple hours later the tow truck driver dropped me and mein kaputtes Auto at home. Duolingo came in clutch, cause none of the people I had to interact with to get my car towed spoke English except the tow company rep on the phone.

What ever happened to Saturday night?
When you Left your job and felt alright?
Don’t seem the same since cosmic light
Came into my life, I thought I was divine