Little Lark of London

“I wanna go / To the late night, double feature, picture show”

Ever since it first started in London in 1973, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O’Brien has taken the world by storm, with productions in cities around the world and a hit movie being released only two years after the show’s opening. As someone who has never seen any version of Rocky Horror, I immediately jumped at the chance to see the current UK touring production when it touched down at Richmond Theatre. 

The show begins with an Usherette (Natasha Hoeberigs) standing in front of the curtain, singing about a “Science Fiction/Double Feature” and setting the scene as if the audience is sitting down to watch a movie. The set (designed by Hugh Durrant) also encourages this idea, with the top half being made to look like a strip of film, the orchestra sitting atop it. 

We are introduced to Brad (Connor Carson) and Janet (Lauren Chia), two ordinary teenagers who are caught in a storm and seek refuge in an old castle, which just so happens to be the home of Dr Frank N Furter (Adam Strong), a cross-dressing scientist who has, just like his namesake of Dr Frankenstein, created a man – Rocky (Morgan Jackson). The terrified Brad and Janet meet a range of interesting characters, including Frank N Furter’s servants, Riff Raff (Job Greuter) and Magenta (Hoeberigs) and find their way of life challenged by the openly and joyfully sexual lives of those in the castle. 

Fair warning – the age guidance for the show is 12+, but I would recommend leaving the kids at home as there are plenty of jokes that are sexual in nature, including some pretty memorable callouts from the audience and some explicitly sexual moments taking place in the beds of Brad and Janet at the castle. 

Jackie Clune quite nearly steals the show as The Narrator, having to not only perform the show as written but react to the different audience callouts. Clune appears to be quite at ease with the role, reading from the grotesque storybook she brings on stage with each appearance and looking out into the audience with a grin, anticipating and encouraging what they’re going to say next. There are a few modern jokes that are put into the script, including references to Donald Trump and MAGA. There was one particular audience callout that must have been unusual as Clune had to take a moment to crack up before quickly recovering and throwing a line right back at the audience member!

I’m sure that there were people in the audience who will have comparisons to make between the show at Richmond Theatre and other productions they have seen, but as someone who was watching Rocky Horror for the first time, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s an unusual – but not unwelcome – atmosphere for a theatre in London to have audience members calling out and dressed up like characters in the show, bringing back memories of the first time I saw a pantomime in the same theatre. 

Ultimately, The Rocky Horror Show is a delightfully queer show that is great for everyone, whether they know all of the callouts or have never heard of Dr Frank N Furter. The cast give a fantastic and memorable performance that continues the legacy started in London at the Royal Court Theatre over fifty years ago. I look forward to doing the Time Warp again sometime in the future!

The Rocky Horror Show runs from 28 April to 3 May at Richmond Theatre. It will then make stops at Stoke-on-Trent (5 to 10 May), Manchester (19 to 31 May), Leeds (2 to 7 June) and Swansea (9 to 14 June). For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.