Theatre memories live on through eccentric statue

“I would like to, if I may, take you on a strange journey,” is the criminologist’s opening line in the cult classic movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Written by Richard O’Brien, this was inspired by what is now a piece of Hamilton’s history.  

In 1915 it opened as the Theatre Royal, renaming in the 1950s to Embassy Theatre. Despite protest the premises were demolished in 1994 after being sold in 1989.

Writer of the movie, Richard O’Brien worked at a barber shop in the building. He used to go and see the Late Night Double Feature B-Grade movie screenings. These inspired the 1975 film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

A plaque at the location states, “This statue celebrates the international success of Hamiltonian Richard O’Brien and a piece of Hamilton’s cinematic history.”

Mark Servian led the push for the installation of the statue in Embassy Park. The initial idea struck while watching the New Zealand TV show Coming Home episode, featuring Richard O’Brien. In that episode, the first thing he noticed was O’Brien walking down a Hamilton street where he had resided. They later showed him walking through the old theatre site, explaining how he’d worked there as a barber watching those Late Night Double Feature Theatre screenings. Later, while Servian was on a trip to the United Kingdom, the idea occurred to him, “We need a statue there.”

He pitched the statue idea to Weta Workshop before anything went public. It was the very first piece of public art they had created. In fact, there wasn’t much interest in the project until Weta Workshop was involved. “From that point,” Servian states, “doors just kept opening.”

“My motivation was very much shifting the psychology of the town, opening it up and sending a message about inclusion, queerness and diversity, which of course is a challenge now, but boy was it a challenge then.”

— Mark Servian

The park underwent numerous changes over its existence, becoming a vibrant and welcoming space in Hamilton’s centre city. Events regularly take place in the park, favourites being evening musical performances. You can even learn the iconic Time Warp dance from the movie as there is a step by step guide on the wall. Another unique feature is a live feed of the park being broadcast to the statue’s official website.

With the new regional theatre slated for construction, more changes are to come in the park’s near future. The current concepts of the redesign place Riff Raff centrally in the extended park. “My hope is to do the same thing again, but bigger and flasher.”

As the character Frank N. Furter says, “So come up to the lab, and see what’s on the slab.”