Picture: David Freeman
The Rocky Horror Show was reviewed at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham (playing until 1 April 2023). The tour continues until 14 October 2023.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
It may be approaching its 50th birthday, but The Rocky Horror Show shows no signs of wanting to grow old gracefully. Richard O’Brien’s outlandish cult musical broke new ground back in 1973 with its depiction of sexual fluidity and transvestism, set against the backdrop of a fond homage to the cheesy science fiction and horror of 1950s cinema. Its devoted fan base gathered in their droves to dress up like its characters, shout out saucy responses to the show’s dialogue, and dance in unison to the legendary ‘Time Warp’. It became a beloved musical for outsiders, creating a world for people who didn’t feel like they belonged in this one, and a high-heeled icon was born in the form of Dr Frank N Furter. The sensual scientist and his crazy cohorts are back to dazzle audiences once again in a UK tour celebrating five decades of the show’s decadence and reverie, playing this week at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre.
Teenage lovebirds Janet Weiss (Haley Flaherty) and Brad Majors (Richard Meek) find themselves stranded on a rainy night when their car breaks down. They knock on the nearest door, and are greeted by an assortment of eccentric and madcap characters, including Riff Raff (Kristian Lavercombe), Magenta (Suzie McAdam), Columbia (Darcy Finden) and the seductive Dr Frank N Furter (Stephen Webb). Frank reveals he’s about to unveil his latest experiment, his Frankenstein-like vision of the perfect man, named Rocky (Ben Westhead), and soon all havoc breaks loose as Brad and Janet find themselves powerless against Frank’s enticing charms, unaware of who or what Frank and his mysterious servants might really be.
The Rocky Horror Show is as wickedly entertaining as it ever was, being fully self-aware of its absurdity and strutting on regardless. It’s never been a show where plot or character development really matter, instead setting its focus on making you laugh, gasp, dance and hopefully “shiver with antici……pation”. It stands tall on its fabulous high-heels and demands that you look at it, serving enough ballsy attitude to show that it doesn’t really care what you think of it, it’s just here for a good time, and on that it delivers.
O’Brien conceived everything from the plot, music and lyrics, and while it may be little more than a glittery fever-dream, there really is nothing like it. Originally deemed shocking on its release, it may feel much tamer these days, but given how radically society has changed in terms of gender identity and sexual expression, the show ironically feels even more relevant today; a man in heels is no longer something to be laughed at, or feared, but now just accepted and respected.
The show’s score retains that 1950s rock ‘n’ roll vibe and still sounds great, and director Christopher Luscombe keeps the kitsch camp of the musical’s origins front and centre, aided by Hugh Durrant’s set and Sue Blane’s costume design. It can feel a little “rough around the edges”, but anything more polished would betray the real spirit of the show.
Webb leads the show brilliantly as Frank, prowling around on those heels like a wild panther and purring his way through every scene, clearly having a great time. While no one could ever (or will ever) match Tim Curry’s iconic portrayal, Webb is still everything you’d want from Frank and performs it brilliantly. Narrating the show, Philip Franks is also an absolute hoot, clearly very experienced in all manner of audience heckling and his quick-witted retorts are consistently brilliant. Lavercombe, a true veteran of the show, also stands out as Riff Raff, incredibly mimicking O’Brien’s original interpretation while also adding his own spin to the role.
The Rocky Horror Show is as daft and non-sensical as musical theatre gets, and while it does run out of steam towards the end as it tries to wrap up the crazy strands of its story, it’s still one of the most devilishly fun nights out that you can have. Fifty years young and clearly still as beloved as ever, The Rocky Horror Show is bonkers but brilliant. It looks like we’ll all keep doing the ‘Time Warp’ for a while yet.
Rob Bartley
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