The Rocky Horror Show is a cult classic, and probably has one of the most dedicated fanbases of any show or film and has been wowing sell-out audiences for more than forty Years around the globe.
Now it is the turn of Woking’s New Victoria Theatre to host this show as its rushes along full steam on its 2019 World Tour.
After a short technical glitch after the first song, the show continued with the tale of two young lovebirds, Brad and Janet, getting stranded in a storm and finding shelter in a castle owned by a sexy psycho scientist by the name of Frank N Furter.
What really made this performance shine was its superb cast. Joanna Clifton ( providing some power vocals) and Ben Adams as Brad and Janet were loveable idiots right from scene one, as they drove down the road into trouble at Frank-N-Furter’s castle. They were very comical in their innocence, their bedroom scenes involving Frank-N-Furter and turned the “Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch Me” routine into an X-rated hoot.
Narrator Dom Joly works up the audience for playfulness, scolding them when they need to settle down and improvising off the back of hecklers to get bigger laughs than they got.
Kristian Lavercombe has played Riff Raff in many productions around the world and he certainly grabs the spotlight as he leads this talented cast into Time Warp, the timeless, pelvic-thrusting, chart-topping hit song of the show.
But the show, as always, belongs to Frank N Furter and Stephen Webb takes the stage as if by divine right and left me antici…pating more…….. what a presence he has. Demanding the cast and audience to follow his every move and mood, makes you feel sad for this misunderstood character.
There are many traditions associated with this show , such as standing up and dancing to The Time Warp, yelling “Asshole” and “Slut” every time Brad and Janet’s name are uttered. These clever, and somewhat ridiculous traditions are what makes The Rocky Horror Show. The entire casts timing was impeccable as they dealt with the audience “ shout outs” like it was water of a ducks back.
This show also brings with it an audience that might never have been to a theatre before, In my book anything that gets new audiences into a theatre is a winner straight away. Also with half the audience dressed up as their favourite character is like watching a show in itself! Two for the price of one!
So go on, Book Your tickets, grab some fish nets and enjoy a great night out.
Reviewed by Bryan Doyle
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