Tommy Wiseau Owns the Room in Oriental Theater Show

“Will you marry me?” asked a young woman on bended knee to the eccentric but beloved actor, director, producer/executive producer and writer on the Oriental Theater stage.

“You never know what will happen,” responded Tommy Wiseau with a toothy smile and a trademarked aha-ha-ha laugh.  

During a late-night showing of The Room, Wiseau is right: you never know what will happen.

On March 23, the historic Oriental Theater in Milwaukee hosted the one-of-a-kind film star Tommy Wiseau, for a nearly sold-out showing of his cult classic film The Room.

Initially beloved by the nerdiest of film students, the cult of Tommy has become stronger than ever. In addition to being proposed to: Tommy signed numerous autographs for his devoted admirers, was fiercely hugged many times and the uniquely outfitted Wiseau even exchanged belts with one fan.

“I love you all!” exclaimed Wiseau many times to his crowd. The feeling was mutual.

Tommy Wiseau craves love.

In The Room, Wiseau plays Johnny, the perfect all-American man. He buys his wife-to-be Lisa (Juliette Danielle) a dozen red roses every day, he has a good job at the bank, and does everything he can to help his friends be happy.

The only problem is that Lisa is sleeping with Johnny’s best friend Mark (Greg Sestero).

Tommy, who is very vague concerning his past, says that The Room is a real story. Possibly a real story about him and a woman who broke his heart.

Tommy Wiseau craves love, and now, he has received it from his dedicated and vocal fan-base.

Illuminated by the hazy purple-red beams of light and surrounded by the Buddha statues that inhabit the walls of the main stage of the Oriental, chants of “Tommy, Tommy, Tommy,” were common from the crowd.

The many cosplayers that dressed as their favorite characters were applauded and cheered as the excited crowd became more eager to see the special guest.  

“It’s so fun to go as a character,” said Thomas Bryant who cosplayed as Lisa, fitted in a sleek red dress and was accompanied by two suit-clad Johnny’s. “Especially in a not obvious choice.”

Passion for Wiseau and his film is expected at a showing of The Room, but when Tommy is in attendance, everything is heightened. One group of fans tied ties around their heads in the fashion of Lisa. Football-wielding and tuxedoed Johnny’s were also common. Those who did not cosplay showed their fervent fandom by supplying frequent and frenzied applause and cheer.

Exhilaration was the response when the mysterious filmmaker finally entered the stage for the question and answer portion of the event.

Five Johnny’s and three Lisa’s shared the stage with the real Wiseau in front of an adoring and hyper crowd. Half the question-and-answer portion was dedicated to complimenting and interrogating his characters doppelgangers.

Some audience members attempted to coax Wiseau into sharing some deeper insight to his creative process.

“Move on,” said a grinning Tommy to any question he deemed unworthy.

The mis-en-scene of the theater screen started with the trailer for Alejandro Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain. It only became more intense and wild. If you have never seen The Room, it is a unique film, and attracts a unique audience.

After waiting in a line that wrapped around the block, there was rarely a quiet moment during the non-traditional movie screening. Boos, cheers and jokes were joyfully shouted during every moment of the movie. Audience members ran across the stage, a blue laser-pointer was trained on the naked buttocks of the big-screen version of Johnny, and many a football and spoon were gleefully tossed as is the tradition.

Wiseau’s movie has only gained a more intense following and popularity since its 2003 release. James Franco’s The Disaster Artist, which tells the story of the twisted and unorthodox making of The Room, has given the film a more broad following.

The reception to the quality of the film has been and continues to a mixed bag.

“It’s not a complete disaster from a technical aspect,” said Bryant, a film school graduate and aspiring director. “Just the right balance of bad, strange and interesting. So much so, it’s maybe one of my favorite movies ever.

The type of attendee and the reception for The Room has changed since the last time Tommy visited the Oriental.

“Irony doesn’t last for 15 years,” said Oriental Theater employee Kelsey Parks. “People are laughing with him instead of at him.”

A sky-blue poster for Bud and Sue: The Great American Story hangs near the celling of the Oriental Theater. On the poster is the tagline “THE PRIDE OF MKE FILM.” This is a fitting description for the theater that displays the piece.

The ornate Oriental Theater was opened in 1927 as one of the many neighborhood theaters that populated Milwaukee. The lobby looks like something out of a Disney movie that would be played in the film halls, complete with grand chandeliers, elephant engravings and majestic lion statues.

It is a fitting place to host a film as ridiculous and beloved as The Room.

Wiseau said he will return to Milwaukee and the Oriental to premiere his upcoming film Big Shark during the Milwaukee Film Festival. He also mentioned possible interest in making a superhero movie. Already a hero to those in attendance, the possibility was exciting.

At the end of the screening, mixed in the spilt popcorn and discarded candy boxes, were thousands of thrown plastic spoons on the floor of the Oriental. The film was over, but the experience of collectively seeing a movie like The Room, and larger-than-life human like Tommy, would not be forgotten.