Photo: David Freeman
Richard O’Brien’s unapologetically brash 1970s Sci-fi / B-Movie explodes onto the stage. It is likely that you know of The Rocky Horror Show, and may have seen the film, so will be familiar with the story line. The tale follows the newly engaged Brad (Ben Adams) and Janet (Joanne Clifton) as they travel home from a wedding. Their car breaks down in the rain and they have to find help in the middle of nowhere. They stumble upon a remote gothic castle, and are welcomed in by the butler Riff Raff (Kristian Lavercombe). The hapless innocent couple are greeted by a collection of misfits and their childlike naivety is stripped away. Frank-N-Furter (Stephen Webb), the transvestite scientist is responsible for creating some of the monstrous humans in the cast, but excels himself in creating Rocky (Callum Evans), the image of human perfection. The heady mix of temptation laid in front of Brad and Janet is too much for them to resist and the show revels in the exposure of their physical weaknesses.
Frank-N-Furter is the star of the show, with a flamboyant presence and comedic timing that completely captivated the audience. By contrast the characters of Brad and Janet are comparatively and deliberately understated.
The performance got the crowd on their feet, the script frequently punctuated with heckles from the audience, which clearly included some very dedicated Rocky Horror Show devotees as they seemed to know all the put down lines. For a casual fan, this was a little tiresome, but overall it added to the humour of the show. Dom Joly is an excellent foil as the Narrator, often becoming the butt of the jokes.
The show is wonderfully kitsch, with every outfit flamboyant and corseted. The humour is very much below the waistline and no apologies are made for it’s raunchy sexuality. Those of a nervous disposition probably wouldn’t come to see it, so no warnings required. If you want brash, unadulterated fun then this is your kind of show. It’s full of in jokes, and is a short but sweet romp with a collection of familiar tunes, including the famous Time Warp, which is possibly a little over-repeated. However by the final curtain everyone was up and dancing.
The Rocky Horror Show is running at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking until 9th March 2019.
