Brigitte Pistol
Brigitte as Magenta
In 1996, I was living in Rouen, Normandy and that's where I first saw the RHPS on TV. I fell in love with it at first sight and from then, I kept showing the video to everyone coming to my place. And one day, somebody told me, there was a cinema in Paris still showing the movie and where people were dressed up like the characters.
Three years later, when Christophe, my partner and I, we settled down back in Paris, I looked in the Paris Time Out and found the place where Rocky Horror was on. On a Friday, September 3rd, 1999 we went to the show and at the end I knew I wanted to be part of it.
I started in May 2000 in the Absent Friends defunct cast performing as Columbia. I then started to perform as Magenta in September 2000.
After retiring from the Absent Friends in May 2001, Christophe and I created the French shadowcast, the Sweet Transvestites. Christophe, who performs Riff-Raff and the MC, makes all the props; I perform Magenta, the Usherette and Betty Monroe and also make all the costumes. I'm also the Cast Manager, webmaster of the cast and President of the Official French Rocky Horror Fan Club.
Brigitte with Perry Bedden
Since then the cast has been performing every Saturday, we've never missed a show and we celebrated our 450th performance in May 2008.
On June 25th, 2005, at the Vegas Convention (and thanks to our good friend Ruth Fink-Winter) Sal Piro approved our cast as the Official French Rocky Horror Fan Club. And two years later, we were honored to be welcomed by Richard O'Brien backstage in The Wimbledon Theatre.
At the Denton Affair II, the latest UK Rocky Horror Convention in London on October 18th, 2007, we had the great pleasure and honor to meet Belinda Sinclair, Yasmin Pettigrew, Sue Blane, Rayner Bourton (the first Rocky ever) and Stephen Calcutt. We also got a chance to see our long time friends, Perry Bedden and Christopher Biggins.
Brigitte with Amelia
At the costume contest, the judges were none other than Sue Blane, Yasmin Pettigrew and Amelia (Richard O'Brien's daughter), the cast won 3 prizes; Number One male costume all categories: Christophe as Space Riff, Best Frank ex aequo: Antoine as Floorshow Frank and Time Meyer as Sweet T Frank, Best Usherette: me.
I spend a lot of time in London and visit Oakley Court at least once a year. I managed to get in the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs where it all begun. I adore the play which I saw in Germany and in Wimbledon during the UK Tour. With the cast we're planning to make a Tribute to Rocky Horror in clubs and small theaters, featuring only the songs. We already did one last year in a gay bar.
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