Nottingham Concert Hall – until Saturday 26th August 2023
Reviewed by Amy V Gathercole
5*****
“Rocky Horror is the most fun, feisty and downright sexy show you’re going to experience in a theatre. Don’t dream it, Be it…”
Fun, frolics and frocks, ‘It’s just a step to the left’ … on a very memorable night at the best show in town. It’s not often that shows run for 50 years and with the iconic cult favourite Rocky Horror Show it’s easy to see why.
Rocky Horror is the most fun, feisty and downright sexy show you’re going to experience in a theatre. Don’t dream it, Be it. Combining elements of; musical theatre, sci-fi, drag, rock’n’roll and horror in its explosion of delight, deviancy and debauchery.
For anyone who doesn’t know what to expect, in its essence, Rocky Horror is a very twisted fairytale. Our conservative couple Brad (Richard Meek) and Janet (Hayley Flaherty) (who both have great comedic timing and powerful vocals) happen upon a house of horrors on a very wet night.
They’ve broken down and are looking for the use of a phone, as chaos and sexuality are (literally) thrust upon them upon their arrival and they quickly learn that a night spent here will change their lives, minds and hearts forever.
It’s the most fun you can have as an audience member, as you’re encouraged to participate in numbers like ‘Time Warp‘ and of course, it’s a show where you will find many of the audience embracing the theme with costumes including sequins and stilettos. You won’t be asked to ‘shh’ by an usher or asked to leave for heckling the narrator – who was expertly played by Joe McFadden (as part of a 4-week stint). He even added some tongue-in-cheek improv to certain lines shouted from the audience and giving it a Nottingham and topical spin in parts – a nice touch that was greeted with a lot of chuckles.
At its heart, it is a show about acceptance, and it’s been uniting LGBTQIA+ people and communities globally for decades. Helping to provide answers for people questioning their identity and providing a safe space for the alternative ego in us all.
Some roles are an actor’s dream come true and the energetic, charismatic and devious role of unforgettable Dr Frank’n’Furter is one of them. Here it’s expertly handled by Stephen Webb, who is having the time of his life cavorting and frolicking around that stage in his pants. Webb is equal parts terrifying, alluring, commanding and sexy all at once but he makes the role his own with every strut he makes on the stage, whilst also echoing the unforgettable Tim Curry.
Another notable performance is that of Riff Raff from Kristian Lavercombe, who has now performed this role in over 2000 shows around the world. Taking on the mannerisms of the creator of RHPS, Richard O’Brien but adding their own creepy and at times sinister aesthetics.
A favourite of mine has always been Columbia (I even dressed as her for the occasion) and here Darcy Finden played her vulnerable and chaotic nature, the unhinged and spurned lover to perfection.
Some of the iconic costumes of Sue Blane have had a modern update, but thankfully the memorable ones can still be found on the stage (and in the audience). The set is brilliant, combining old-school staging techniques to convey humour (particularly in the seduction
scenes in the stand-up right bed on the stage) and using more modern lighting effects to create the mesmerising and mysterious elements of the show.
In short, it’s THE party to be at. It’s raucous and racy and it will have you joyously dancing in the aisles as your jaw drops a bit more.