253 well spent midnight shows, 87 as Floor Show Janet, 135 as regular Janet. I suppose I could do Dr Scott, have wheelchair and know the lyrics 
I understand the whole audience participation thing. Dress up, act like complete goofs, point and laugh and shout. Think of it as pro wrestling, except the same people are the fans and wrestlers. Not my thing, of course, but I can definitely see the appeal. And like Hermione said, there are far, far worse things a bunch of energetic extroverts could be doing together.
And you can even see parallels with today’s “meme” culture, where all a great, great many people seem to know how to do is repeat canned lines ad nauseum. “Toucha touch touch me!”, “Just a step to the left…”, “Hot patootie, bless my soul”, et al. There’s something about mindless, banal, unthinking repetition that brings people together (hey, another parallel with pro wrestling). Except that instead of punching keys on a keyboard, they’re getting out in the open and acting it out, complete with costumes and props (quite a few, from what I’ve heard), which adds quite a bit substance to the phenomenon. Big difference between doing and talking, after all.
So given the obvious appeal, my only question is: Why is this the only one? The box cover on the disk I rented all those years ago called this the “#1 audience participation movie of all time”; well, what exactly did it beat out? When I first heard the hype about Snakes on a Plane, at least one article said that someone…producer, director, screenplay writer, I don’t know…wanted this to become the next big audience participation feature. It flopped and was never heard from again. There’s gotta be a way to recreate this success with more updated music, actors, costumes, etc., so why hasn’t anyone done it?
I like how it is on tv now but it is not even close to the same as being there with a good troupe of actors in front of the screen, the audience participation (toast!) and of course the hazing. I got a somewhat pass on that as I knew some of the actors and they knew I was very shy back then but I saw some virgins just get the holy hell. It was all fun and actually the virgins were kind of the warm up act. I remember a couple that their friends didn’t let know what would happen but as soon as this was obvious people let off enough to make it fun for them also, of course it takes someone to turn you in usually to let others know that you are one.
It only takes a couple shows until you feel the vibe or energy or whatever cheesy thing I can call it.
You’ve clearly never been to ‘sing-a-long-a-Sound-of-Music’. Fairly popular for a long time in the UK. Everyone goes dressed up as nuns and nazis.
I went once, while I was in college, and it was a really bad experience. I got there too early, and the troupe demanded I go on stage and fake an orgasm. When I declined, they got insistent, and some words were exchanged. I was asked to leave.
They wouldn’t even give me my money back for the ticket.
Audience partici…
…pation.
mmm
I’m not confused about the cult following, what does confuse me is why they always, always seem to play ‘Time Warp’ in any event aimed at children in the UK.
Really bewildered me when I found out where the song played at every primary school party had actually come from… I’ve seen my local vicar dancing to that, surrounded by small children.
Just to clarify, I get what it is all about, I was just asking everyone to give their best to describe it to an outsider.
At what viewing would you say you “got” it?
For me the third time was the charm. The first one I was too nervous, the second time I was too resistant. The third time? Old hat baby, asshole, slut, turn the wipers on, grow a fucking neck!
I never caught the bug.
I never felt the need to buck authority, or show my individualism by engaging in counter-culture acts.
I went to a theatre show of the RHPS in 85 with friends (in the Vallejo CA area). There was some audience participatio, but I never felt the desire to join in.
I cannot explain why some films (or songs) become cult hits, and others don’t. It’s not logical. 
It’s been a few decades since I’ve seen it any which way other than the occasional YouTube clip, but I’ve got the soundtrack, and the music holds up extremely well. And it’s got a ton of quotable lines.
I saw it several times from '80 - '82 at the Tiffany on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Shit was crazy. It was a lot if fun and my first exposure to anything really alternative.
It’s not really a direct sequel, Richard O’Brien even calls it a spin-off, the true sequel was his Revenge of the Old Queen, which may never be produced.
I think most would also disagree that it is a superior movie or that it had better songs.
I’ve seen Shock Treatment a couple of times and have heard the songs several times over. I don’t think I could name more than two.
I also have Shock Treatment, and I made a playlist that combined the two and it is a favorite on road trips. mrAru and I like to sing along while on the road so while he is awake I will play the playlists that are good for singing along, and when I am alone or he is asleep the electronic and hard core metal stuff comes out to play.
What I find odd is how almost every kid gets taught “Blow the Man Down” - a song about a guy who picks up a woman and is in bed with her when her husband/man comes home and beats the snot out of the guy, and ships him off to sea.
For me, it’s nostalgia. Mostly vicarious nostalgia.
I was an only child with a very protective mother who didn’t let me out much during high school (at least not at night). Usually this didn’t bother me much because I loved to read, write, and hang out in my room with my fellow nerdy friend, but in my junior year I got involved with the drama club and the kids there were OBSESSED With RHPS. Since going was out of the question for me (it was a midnight show about 20 miles away in an iffy end of town), I compensated by buying the record album and the books (I still have them) and learning everything I could learn about it without actually seeing it.
I didn’t get to go to a show until I was in college, and loved the audience participation stuff. Watching the movie now I do see how it’s quite cheesy, but I still love the music and it always reminds me of a particular period in my life.
I feel so old. I saw the film BEFORE it had a cult following. No one said a thing or got up from their seats. It was a great, fun film. When I saw it again a few years later, the whole audience participation thing caught me by surprise.
What’s wrong Columbia? You’ve eaten Meat Loaf before!
Here’s some for “I’m Going Home”:
'Cause I’ve seen…
Rocky naked, Brad naked, Janet naked
…blue skies, through the tears in my eyes!
And I realize…
That my hair’s wet, my make-up’s running, and I look like Greg Brady on crack!
I’m going home.
Everywhere, it’s been the same…
What does a golden shower feel like, Frank?
Like I’m outside, in the rain!
When I was planning our wedding years ago, I told the DJ: "You will not play the Hokey Pokey under any circumstances. Not if anyone requests it. Not if they try to slip you money to play it. We’ll be doing the Time Warp . . . " What surprised me was the number of our guests who jumped up to the left with us! Good times; people stayed so long that they had to throw almost half the reception out at 2am because we were all having too much fun.
One I recall, which these comments reminded me of:
Q: What’s for dinner?
A: Meat Loaf!
Q: What’s for dessert?
A: Janet!
Everybody: Skip dinner, screw dessert!
As for the OP’s question, it was fun to go to a showing of RHPS. Squirt guns, confetti, newspapers, cards for sorrow and cards for pain, the light over at the Frankenstein place, and dancing the Time Warp in the aisles. Great times!