The Rocky Horror Show: reviews by Henry Benjamin
With a massive musical intro, it was time again to see the Roxy Cinema candy seller part the curtains and send us off on to the wild ride that is The Rocky Horror Show.
Jason Donavan and Henry Rollo. Photo: Daniel Boud
The non-stop musical extravaganza boasts a cast, set design, lighting, and a bunch of musos who make the very best of the script and music written by New Zealander Richard O’Brien and first performed in 1973 in London.
Engaged couple Brad [Ethan Jones] and Janet [Deirdre Khoo] have made their way to a weird mansion seeking help as their car had broken down during a filthy night.
An outstanding performance by Henry Rollo, appearing as valet Riff Raff introduces Brad and Janet to the residents of the house before the entry of Jason Donavan as Frank n Furter, the mad transvestite who is attempting to create a human being.
Taking you on this wild trip is narrator Myf Warhurst who easily won a battle with a heckler on opening night.
This is the 50th anniversary of a show whose premiere was performed to an audience of 63. It has a history of audiences over these 5o years numbering around 30 million in 30 countries and in 20 languages.
This production was played to a full house to which I took my 16-year-old granddaughter, who had never seen the show but had heard of it. And she loved every second.
When the band struck up “Time Warp”, the audience went into high gear. Three girls were doing their best to dance in their seats in front of me, pumping the action from the song’s action moves. There was a sombre middle-aged gentleman next to me, who sang every word and continued to mouth every line of the show until the end.
The cast. Photo: Daniel Boud
It was time for Frank n Furter to take Brad and Janet to his laboratory, where they witnessed the “birth” of the mad transvestite’s human. Enter Loredo Malcolm as Rocky.
Riff Raff’s sister Magenta is played by Stellar Perry, Eddie/Dr Scott [Ellis Dolan] and Columbia [Darcey Eagle].
Also appearing were Josh Gates, Catty Hamilton, Jackson Reedman and Erica Wild, Keane Fletcher and Kristina McNamara.
Also behind the scenes were Costume designer Sue Blane, Choreographer Nathan M Wright and Lighting Designer Nick Richings.
What would a musical be without the music? The band sat high up on the mezzanine built at the back of the stage. The music was faultless with original arrangements by Richard Hartley.
The show is entertaining from the first minute to the last, closing with two versions of “Time Warp”.
If it will be a new experience or a revisit to your past, The Rocky Horror Show will live up to your expectations.
This production stays in Sydney at the Theatre Royal until the end of March before heading off to Adelaide where it opens on April 13 before going to Melbourne’s Atheneum Theatre with an opening performance on May 18.
In Adelaide, David Bedella will play Frank N Furter.
Unadulterated fun.
