Laughs and applause, hoots and hollers greeted Steven Lasiter as he made his way down the steps on the set at Harrison Hilltop Theater in Davenport.

His fellow cast and crew members of "The Rocky Horror Show" had worked with him for weeks, but this was the first time they had seen him in the full plumage of Dr. Frank N. Furter, the most eccentric and elaborate character in a show full of eccentric and elaborate characters.

Lasiter, who has performed in several shows at Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse in Rock Island, meandered his way down the steps, wearing a bustier, a garter belt and thigh-high stockings, trying to navigate it all on high heels.

It's a familiar sight to those who are more acquainted with the 1975 "Rocky Horror Picture Show," a movie that became the virtual definition of the phrase "cult classic." And it's a chance for Harrison Hilltop to remind fans of the movie that, two years prior, it was a stage show called "The Rocky Horror Show."

Director Dave Mahl, who estimates that he saw the movie version at least 50 times when it played regular midnight shows at the former Duck Creek Mall theaters in Bettendorf, said it's a challenge directing the performers in something where they already have extreme familiarity.

"The movie is so iconic, and that's what the audience wants," said Mahl, who works as a lawyer. "But I don't want to go to the actors and say, 'You have to do exactly what Tim Curry (the star of the film) is doing.' My thought is: Understand the basic character and then put your spin on it.

"All these people have seen this show so many times and have so many preconceived notions, and I'm just putting it all together. ... They can put a spin on what's going on and make these characters their own."

The cast includes a mix of Harrison Hilltop regulars, performers from other groups and some new faces.

Theater co-founder Chris Walljasper, who plays the wheelchair-bound Dr. Scott, said those familiar with the movie will be in for some surprises.

"It's been a difficult balance because you have to keep what the audience is expecting somewhere in the back of your head and make a conscious choice whether to stay in the vein or to detract and go a different route," he said. "We've done a little of both."

Walljasper and Tristan Tapscott, who opened the theater last summer, have long wanted to put "Rocky Horror" onstage and already have made plans for a 2010 revival.

"It's never been done in the area live, as far as we know," said Tapscott, who plays Riff-Raff. "I just thought it would be neat for the Quad-City audience to experience something live that had been on film so many years. The live show is so much more electric than the movie ever thought of being."

Although the film gained its cult status in the late 1970s and early '80s, Tapscott and Walljasper - both in their mid-20s, find enjoyment in it as well.

"It's always been entertaining to me," said Tapscott, a longtime fan of horror movies.

"It started out as a cult classic but has just continued," added Walljasper who, like much of the cast, viewed it regularly in college.

Audiences are already responding, with the first show Saturday night close to being sold out as of early this week. Those making reservations include quite a few parents and children.

"From the calls I'm getting, every show is going to have a very interesting group," Tapscott said.

The show is testing a unique three-week run format: one night this week, two nights the following week and three nights on Halloween weekend.

"For this particular show, doing it on the 31st is just a no-brainer," Mahl said.

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