It may be more than seventy years since Richard O’ Brien created his bonkers homage to the B movie genre of science fiction so popular from the 1930s onwards but this crazy musical continues to entertain.
Its vision of transsexuality may not be as shocking as it once appeared but it remains one of those must-see musicals.
From the moment that the Usherette (Natasha Hoeberigs) introduces the action through to the final reprise of the iconic Time warp the audience is swept along on a magic carpet of mayhem. Does the story make complete sense? Can the Rocky virgin in the audience understand much of what is going on? The answer is probably not but it matters not a fig as – as always – the audience member is swept along in the naughtiness of the play and leaves the theatre in a state of pure astonishment and delight from the experience.
Brad (Connor Carson) and Janet (Lauren Chia) are on their way from a friend’s wedding to meet with Dr Scott (Ryan Carter-Wilson) and the naïve couple are deeply in love – so much so that the besotted Brad proposes to his girlfriend.
It is not long though before disaster strikes. The car develops a flat tyre and with no serviceable replacement the couple are in desperate need of help. The only building in the vicinity is an eerie castle but there is hope that there may be a telephone available and the couple are invited inside by the butler Riff Raff (Job Greuter) where they meet Magenta (Hoeberigs) and friend Columbia (Jayme-Lee Zanoncelli).
The girls begin to tell Brad and Janet about Eddie (Carter-Wilson) – a delivery boy who botched a delivery and fell victim to an unfortunate event and this persuades the young lovers that it may be better to leave immediately.
Their departure is thwarted by the arrival of the owner of the castle – the transexual demented Dr Frank N Furter (Adam Strong) who is eager to give them a guided tour of his laboratory and showcase his latest creation Rocky (Morgan Jackson) – a humanoid with a perfect body and half of Eddie’s brain that is built purely for sexual satisfaction.
In a manic Act 2 both Brad and Janet are seduced by the mad Doctor and find that the forbidden fruit is surprisingly to their taste. Will they still be able to love each other despite no longer being the naifs that they were just a few hours before? Will Rocky provide the satisfaction craved by Frank? Why was the eerie castle placed on Earth? It may not make a huge amount of sense as the audience discovers the answers to the questions posed but neither did the synopses of most B-movies. And this one is far more fun to sit through.
All of the action is held together by the Narrator (Jackie Clune) who has to also respond to the heckling from the audience that has become a tradition over the years and Clune was excellent in her role. Quick on her mental feet, she took everything perfectly in her stride and produced some wonderful put-downs.
Clune was only the tip of the iceberg of acting talent. As the veteran of more performances of Rocky than I can remember I can confirm that Strong is as outrageously excellent as any Frank that I have seen, Chia and Carson have excellent singing voices and are perfect in their journey through sexual liberation and Greuter and Hoeberigs were exactly as O’Brien must have visualised the characters when he created this musical masterpiece that was so daring at the time of its creation.
Jackson has the physique to be the perfection that Frank N Furter desired but he is not just eye candy as he showcases his vocal talent and the seduction scenes are luxurious in their lascivious behaviour.
With a superb live band under the direction of Josh Sood, magnificent movement created by Choreographer Nathan M Wright and superb support from all of the ensemble, Director Christopher Luscombe has devised a delightful spectacle for all – whether they be returning audience members or newbies.
My advice is to make your own visit to Frank N Furter’s laboratory and witness an absorbing musical. Just don’t try to over analyse what is going on and allow its craziness to wash over you. You will soon be carried along on its tidal wave of naughtiness. Incidentally, luxurious lingerie is not required but it does add to the experience!!!
Rocky Horroe Show continues until May 10th and has a running time of approximately two hours including interval. For ticket information contact atgtickets.com/stoke
