Now playing at the Athenaeum Theatre Melbourne until March 23 and at the Theatre Royal Sydney from March 31 to May 12. Tickets and further info can be found at rockyhorror.com.au.
A staple of the stage for more than 50 years, The Rocky Horror Show is an evergreen crowd-pleaser that never fails to entertain. Still bursting with invention and energy after all these decades, Richard O’Brien’s groundbreaking tribute to cheesy B-movies, science fiction and horror tropes of the 1950s still finds new ways to wow us.
This is a return production of the 50th Anniversary tour, which kicked off in early 2023, featuring (mostly) the same cast as we saw last year. The major difference this time round is that Joel Creasey has taken over the role of narrator from his Eurovision Song Contest co-host Myf Warhurst. While Warhurst was fine in the role, the role is tailor made for a veteran stand-up like Creasey, in a part where audience heckling is part of the gig. Creasey really is the perfect fit, and he dives in with aplomb, responding brilliantly to audience members’ pre-empting lines of dialogue with some witty gags and rapid-fire comebacks.
The plot is probably familiar even to those who have never seen the show, and the initial set up does a great job of introducing us to the sweet-natured squares at the heart of the story – Brad (Blake Bowden) and Janet (Deidre Khoo) – whose car breaks down one stormy night. But it’s not long before they unwittingly stumble into a foreboding castle populated by a range of bizarre eccentrics, none so more than the outrageous mad scientist Dr Frank-N-Furter (played very well here by Jason Donovan), who is conducting a variety of oddball Frankenstein-esque experiments on human bodies, and instantly corrupts the strait-laced, repressed Brad and Janet with his uninhibited sexuality.
The set design is charmingly kitschy, the costumes and lighting are incredible, and the entire cast does a great job of keeping energy levels high throughout. From the opening number (Science Fiction/Double Feature) to the rousing curtain call which features encores of the show’s two most famous numbers, the energy never lags, and every cast member gets their moment to shine, with Henry Rollo (Riff Raff) and Darcey Eagle (Columbia) being particular standouts.
For a show that has been staged as many times as Rocky Horror Show has been, it must be a challenge to bring anything new to the proceedings, but Donovan adds in plenty of little touches and nuances in this iconic role to make the part his own with great comic timing and brilliant chemistry with his supporting cast.
In the end, a production like Rocky Horror Show is critic proof, especially in Australia, which has always been one of the biggest supporters of the show. You’ll know already if you want to see this or not, and given the rapturous reaction on opening night, this evergreen musical is as popular as ever and will continue to wow crowds for decades to come.
Images by Daniel Boud.
TINSEL and TAP SHOES 