Richard O'Brien outside his Bay of Plenty home. Photo / Mead Norton
Richard O'Brien outside his Bay of Plenty home. Photo / Mead Norton
Almost 50 years after creating The Rocky Horror Picture Show creator Richard O'Brien still feels the pressure when he performs.
But the 80-year-old will take to the stage for The Gig — one in a series of events tackling discrimination in Tauranga — as a way to "standup and fight deeply for democracy".
The events, which also included a comedy show and family gala, were part of the YouNity series organised by newly created charitable trust YoubeYou to rally support for the city's LGBTQIA+ community.
O'Brien is set to perform songs from his cult classic musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show on the Tauranga Waterfront next Saturday. The music festival is headlined by Tiki Taane and also features Ashton Laforteza, Wheriko and Sophie Maude.
He said the burning down of the "little oasis" at the Historic Village initially made him want to get behind the cause, describing it as "such an unpleasant act of distastefulness".
Then on reflection, he realised how important it was to keep "banging the drum for democracy".
"In this community, I can see the need for it. We have to stand up and fight deeply for democracy. The rainbow flag is a flag for democracy. That's why I got involved."
Events of this kind were needed to celebrate diversity in Tauranga and bring together a crowd of "kind-hearted and happy" people, he said.
"That's what we need to do more than anything, to find civility and kindness once again - a sense of fellowship and looking out for the other person, enjoying things together," he said.
"Bring a smile" was his message to those attending.
He said "we are living in extraordinary times" and did not know the answer to uniting people in Tauranga.
"Somebody has got to come and think outside the box. The world has changed and I think it's possibly getting out of our grasp."
Generally, he liked living in Tauranga because of the "lack of population", saying it was "terrible for business but, terribly good for a quiet life".
He brought the land for his Aongatete property in 1999, always planning on retiring there.
Asked if he was nervous about the upcoming performance, he said "not yet" but expected to get jittery on the day.
O'Brien last performed five years ago at Baycourt. Photo / Mead Norton
O'Brien, who attended Tauranga Primary and Tauranga Boys' College, said he still frequently had the "dreadful dream" of being on stage, not being able to see the audience and forgetting his lines.
"Everybody else is rehearsed and you are not. It is a recurring dream. It's not necessarily about the theatre though is it?"
He was born in Cheltenham, England, and relocated to Tauranga around age 10 with his parents.
Stagefright had only hit O'Brien once in his life when he was acting in the musical Hair in London - describing it as a moment he would "rather forget".
"I went to put my foot on the stage one night and an icy cold sweat ran down my back. I was supposed to sing a song. I finally got the microphone and sang it in the wings," he recalled.
"As I was doing it, I looked out at the audience and thought 'what the f*** are you doing? These people didn't come to see you having a problem, they came to forget their own. So get your act together."
He said he had never been "overwhelmed with confidence", viewing it as a "slippery slope to self-satisfaction".
"I would even be getting a bit scared of getting confident. Loss of ego is fine but overconfidence, no. It takes you down the wrong street I think.
"You miss nuances I think if you are too confident - nuances from others or the situation. Being in tune means you have to be sensitive to the atmosphere - especially if you are acting."
He said he did not need to practise in the lead-up to the show - aside from a rehearsal with Tauranga Boys' College band who he would be performing Time Warp alongside.
O'Brien said he just had to "hope and pray" he did not forget any lyrics, with his last live performance being five years ago at Baycourt.
"I am fine. As long as I don't have to jump around too much. I can't kick my leg up the way I used to."
He planned to dress in black, saying it was "probably the right thing to do", with the colour becoming "uniform" for him as he got older.
Organiser Gordy Lockhart, who founded YoubeYou Tauranga Moana, said the event was the "loud, brash, vibrant and colourful starting point" in celebrating Tauranga as a diverse community.
He said the driving force behind YouNity events was to recognise minority groups and celebrate difference, inclusion and equity.
YoubeYou was formed after Lockhart criticised Bethlehem College for asking school parents to acknowledge its belief that marriage was between a man and a woman.
Its creation was also prompted by the arson attack that destroyed a hub for queer and gender-diverse youth in the city.
Ticket sales for the gig and comedy show would go towards the charitable trust. YoubeYou would donate a portion of the money to local secondary schools' queer straight alliance groups.
The comedy show, held at Baycourt Theatre on Sunday, November 20, would see New Zealand comedians Chris Parker, Ben Hurley, Justine Smith, Michelle A'Court, Corey Gonzales-Macuer, James Mustapic, Donna Brookbanks and Summer Xia perform.
