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It's midnight in Menlo Park -- not typically a bastion of countercultural subversion.

That is, unless it's the first or third Saturday of the month, and you've ventured out to the Guild Theatre. Then the witching hour means a time warp back to the raunchy cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

When the reels roll, Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon have plenty of live-action company, with local drama kings and queens acting out scenes along with them. Hailing from various corners of the Bay Area, the actors are part of a company called The Bawdy Caste that's performed at different movie theaters since 1995.

The appeal, of course, is timeless: "I can be as crazy as I want to on stage," says Jeb Purucker of Santa Cruz, who played Rocky on a recent Menlo Park midnight.

To add an extra dollop of spice, sometimes the Bawdy Caste plays more than one role at a time. The Feb. 17 showing, for instance, honored St. Valentine by having the actors also dress as famous couples. So Purucker donned a bunny suit to play Rocky-slash-Roger Rabbit. Brittany Knupper was both Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Jessica Rabbit, which meant plenty of glitter.

There's more silliness to come. A St. Patrick's Day theme is planned for March 17 (it's up to you if you want to get pinched).

And on April 21, all the roles will be "gender-swapped," says Bawdy Caste co-director Julie Barman. They call the night "Tacky Horror."

Info: The Guild Theatre is at 949 El Camino Real. For more information, go to www.bawdycaste.org .