Elle Cota, Spectrum Editor
The recent deaths of influential figures, including Tim Curry and Dolly Parton, have been followed by something more lasting than a moment of mourning: people continuing to perform their work, celebrate their influence and find their own place and one another within the culture they helped create.
A Parade For Dolly Parton
On the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 13, Richmonders gathered at Babe’s of Carytown for the city’s first annual Dolly Parton parade. Babe’s also hosted a Dolly Parton brunch and karaoke from 1-7 p.m.
Children, grandparents and everyone in-between joined the parade, wearing blonde wigs, cowboy boots and Dolly-inspired outfits. Music played as participants walked the sidewalks while people watched and drivers honked in support.
Carrie Craven, a community member, attended to celebrate Parton’s life and her advocacy for kindness, generosity and community.
Craven sported a large foam breastplate beneath a tight, shiny blue dress, paired with a hot pink ruffled slip and a white feathered wig.
Parton’s music provided personal connections for Craven. She said “9 to 5” represented female empowerment, while “Coat of Many Colors” reflected family, hardship and finding value in what others may overlook.
Craven said Parton embraced feminism while playfully challenging traditional feminine stereotypes.
Lauren Gwaley, an attendee, saw the parade as another natural addition to Richmond’s tradition of unconventional celebrations.
Gwaley’s outfit came from a thrift-store find in Dallas: Resembling herself in a pin-up cowgirl outfit, complete with fringe across the back, embroidered horseshoes and roses with a large collar and pearl snaps.
However, the costume was secondary to what Gwaley considered Parton’s more significant contribution: her philanthropy and how she carried herself.
The same idea came through for Tina Martino and Noelle Lavach, two longtime friends who attended together.
Martino leaned into Parton’s cowgirl image, including a bra two sizes too big and a blonde wig to top it off.
Martino grew up listening to country artists, such as Parton and Patsy Cline and later came to appreciate Parton’s broader influence.
Lavach initially considered finding a blonde wig and something sparkly, but ultimately decided that dressing like herself was a better tribute, wearing a “9 to 5” inspired shirt and Dolly Parton earrings from her daughter.
Lavach said she personally connected with “9 to 5” and the film “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and became more aware of Parton’s literacy efforts after becoming a teacher.
“I love ‘9 to 5’ because I’m a product of the ‘80s and I just thought she was funny,” Lavach said. “She inspired me to be a professional woman.”
Lavach connected Parton’s message of being yourself rather than allowing others’ expectations to dictate your life to a lesson from her grandmother: You manage, you get through, find a way, appreciate what you have and give to others.
Other Richmond events have honored Parton, including Studio Two Three’s production of “Steel Magnolias” and a children’s memorial storytime.
Keeping Rocky Horror Alive
Later that same Sunday, Tim Curry’s legacy took the stage at Fallout.
Orgasmic Rush of Lust, a Richmond-based “Rocky Horror Picture Show” shadow cast performance group, hosted a performance with the original 1975 movie playing behind.
Sam Foster, director of OROL, has spent about 13 years with the group. She joined the cast at 20 years old after attending a performance and deciding she did not want to remain in the audience.
The group has performed in Richmond since 2004, building a community around the film’s costumes, music, audience participation and celebration of self-expression.
The performers do not try to replicate the movie exactly. Instead, they interpret the characters through their own costumes and performances.
“It’s much more difficult in my mind to do screen accurate costuming,” Foster said. “The way we do things is basically based on vibes.”
That freedom reflects what Foster sees as the lasting importance of Rocky Horror. She said the film gave people a place to experiment with identity and presentation at a time when doing so publicly could carry greater consequences.
The cast’s goal is to create a space where queer people, outsiders and people who feel pushed toward the edges of society can gather without having to conform, Foster said.
Curry’s death changed the tone of Sunday’s performance. The cast had already selected its lineup, but the actors approached the show differently after learning of his death.
“We are all very much ready to cry on stage,” Foster said.
In the original movie, Riff Raff shoots Frank-N-Furter with a laser gun. Instead, this showing ended with flowers being thrown at Frank-N-Furter’s feet and a final group hug.
The performance became both a tribute to Curry and a continuation of the culture he helped create, Foster said.
Foster recalled seeing comments about Curry’s death that focused on him being unmarried with no children.
“No, he has hundreds of thousands of children, we all look up at that screen every month and just, you know, that’s the man that helped raise a lot of us,” Foster said. “Just being there and being a person we could all look up to and be like, ‘Yep, he can be himself up there, therefore I can be myself right here.’”