Kings Theatre, Glasgow – until Saturday 17 August 2019
Reviewed by Siobhan Wilson
5*****
“I see you shiver with antici…pation” waiting to read this review.
Brad and Janet’s car gets a flat tire. They go looking for help where they happen upon a castle. Their request to use the phone goes unanswered and the fun begins. They get sucked into a party of debauchery where things are not as they seem. Despite their pleasurable stay things take a darker turn in the conclusion.
“It’s astounding…” that I cannot give this a higher rating as 5 stars just does not seem enough. The cast go full pelt from the Usherette (Laura Harrison) sucking you in with the Science Fiction/Double Feature to the encore where the whole audience were on their feet for a standing ovation just ready to break into dance for the Time Warp Reprise.
“Time is Fleeting…” when you are in the Time Warp that is The Rocky Horror Show. They say that time flies when you are having fun. Well, this is the quickest most enjoyable 2 hours of my year to date (and I got married this year)!
“Madness takes it’s toll…” when you have a theatre full of die-hard fans. Rocky Horror Virgins may be taken aback by the continual cajoling and out bursts of ‘Arsehole’ and ‘Slut’ but The Narrator (Philip Franks) ability to ad lib, tease and personalise the performance to the city he is in is testament as to why he has taken up the role again having previously toured with the 40th anniversary.
“The sweet transvestite” Frank N Furter (Duncan James) struts around impeccable in a pair of heels and suspenders holding your attention whilst managing to control his voice flawlessly. I even over heard someone, on leaving the theatre, state that “he was the best Frank N Furter he had seen on stage to date” and I would be hard pushed to disagree with such a statement.
Whilst I could mention each of the cast members in turn and say how great they were, I won’t. I will just say that the fact that nobody was over shadowed and all held their own in a very demanding stage shows just how astounding each and every person casted is. The sell out audience turning out on a school night in their fancy dress shows that Richard O’Brien’s cult classic is still a roaring success.
Be you a Rocky Horror Virgin or a Seasoned heckler, this is a must see!