HULL NEW THEATRE – UNTIL 27TH NOVEMBER 2021
REVIEWED BY DAWN BENNETT
5*****
“You’re lucky, he’s lucky. I’m lucky! WE’RE ALL LUCKY!” and the audience at Hull New Theatre certainly were watching this brilliant production!
I’ve seen the Rocky Horror Show quite a few times over the last 25+ years and this really was one of the best productions of it I’ve seen.
The cast, costumes, band, lighting and set were really fabulous. The cast seemed to be enjoying it just as much as the very vocal audience, who cheered, sang and danced along from the minute the curtains opened.
Audience participation is very much encouraged, with a lot of the audience dressed as their favourite character, stockings, feather boas and Basques in abundance!
The narrator (Philip Franks) holds the audience in the palm of his hand, batting back the heckling and banter from the audience with ease and brilliant comebacks particularly the comment about the upcoming panto which caused a lot of cheers!
Ore Oduba and Helen Flaherty are fabulous as the strait-laced Brad and Janet with such good singing voices. Kristian Lavercome as Riff Raff, Suzie McAdam as Usherette/Magenta and Lauren Ingram as Columbia are brilliantly with very strong voices and such good comic timing. Ben Westhead as Rocky and Joe Allen as Eddie/ Dr Scott are also brilliantly cast and so good to watch. Special mention also for the Phantoms: Reece Budin, Darcy Finden, Jordan Fox and Rachel Grundy. Swing Danny Knott and Swing/Dance captain Stefania Du Toit who are the glue that keeps the show together.
And what can be said about the main man himself, Frank N Furter played by the amazing Stephen Webb. One of the best Franks I’ve seen in a long time, strong singing voice, funny, great timing and acting, just marvellous!
The songs are what a lot of people will recognise Sweet Transvestite, The Time Warp being just two. The Time Warp had people up dancing in the first half, the music played by the brilliant band under the Musical Director Greg Arrowsmith.
To get the people of Hull up on their feet, for a standing ovation, on a cold Monday night shows how good it was.
If you go, go early and marvel at the dressed-up audience and take in the atmosphere. And me? I really enjoyed it, so I’m going back on Saturday to watch it again!