What better way to spend your Halloween week than seeing one of the most iconic horror spoofs of all time, ‘The Rocky Horror Show’, playing Glasgow’s Pavillion Theatre until Saturday 2nd November. 3. The story follows young lovers, Brad and Janet. Their car breaks down outside a rather spooky-looking castle where they come across a certain Dr Frank N Furter. From then on, they find themselves in one hell of a strange encounter.
Stephen Webb stepped back into the role of Frank N Furter for press evening, covering for the indisposed Jason Donovan. Webb is no stranger to the role, playing Frank N Furter in the previous UK Tour of the same production. This full performance seemed like a victory lap for Webb, the energy was incredible from the offset as he stepped onto stage singing ‘Sweet Transvestite’. The outrageous humour and flirtatious manner of Frank was all there, with the audience in the palm of his hands. Whilst there was still a questionable New Jersey accent which has been raised in a previous Theatre Scotland review of Webb’s portrayal, you completely oversee that with the sheer presence and confidence this performer brings to the role. If ever you turn up to a performance where Webb takes to the stage as Frank rather than Donovan, don’t be disappointed, you are guaranteed a raucous, sexy and hilarious Frank.
Nathan Caton leaves audiences in hysterics as The Narrator. Through the years many gifted performers have taken up the role of The Narrator in Rocky, yet Caton brings a fresh comic approach to the role. No audience member’s heckle is too much, the rebuttals get more absurd and dirtier as the night goes on, leaving the audience and this reviewer gasping for air from laughing. Nathan is a brilliant comedian and is a gift for this touring production.
Connor Carson as Brad and Lauren Chia as Janet, bring us the two ditsy lovebirds of this tale, radiating innocence, none the wiser to the farcical antics surrounding them. Although in Act Two, the pair really do lean into the couple’s enjoyment during some of the more edgy moments of the musical, and by the end there is a more transformative journey for the pair thanks to Carson and Chia’s portrayals. All the iconic musical numbers audience know and love are performed with gusto by the pair such as ‘Damn it Janet’, ‘Over at the Frankenstein Place’ and ‘Touch-a Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me’.
Edward Bullingham as Eddie and Dr Scott, does a great job portraying these supporting characters. Bullingham nails ‘Hot Patootie’ giving a performance with the rock and roll quality you expect from the portrayal made iconic by Meat Loaf. Dr Scott’s rather German background is given a bit of a side track, however there is still the hilarious indication which audiences lap up.
Job Greuter debuts his Riff Raff in this tour, taking over from the seasoned performer Kristian Lavercombe, this is no easy task yet Greuter does an amazing job. Greuter embodies the quirky, gothic and farcical servant of Frank perfectly. Of course one of the most notable moments in the full production is his performance of ‘Time Warp’, which is absolutely a showstopping moment. Greuter is accompanied on stage by Natasha Hoeberics as Magenta, who brings us a devilish and energetic portrayal of this Transylvanian villainess. Hoeberics also portrays the Usherette at the start and end of this musical, where she is totally unrecognisable, with her delicate and quirky performance of ‘Science Fiction Double Feature’. These two performers are a welcome edition in this new tour.
Morgan Jackson brings a bundle of energy and six pack galore as Rocky. Morgan doesn’t stop from the moment he enters stage during ‘The Sword of Damocles’. You can’t help but fall in love with his witty energetic portrayal. Talking of energy, someone check on Jayme-Lee Zanoncelli as Columbia, her portrayal is red bull personified on stage. This is a brilliant and endearing performance from Zanoncelli.
The small ensemble for this production brings punchy vocals and tackle the iconic choreography with vigour. The ensemble are as follows; Ryan Carter-Wilson, Arthur James, Hollie Nelson, Erica Wild, Alex Hetherington (Swing) and Stacey Monahan (Swing/Dance Captain).
Christopher Luscombe has been directing Rocky Horror since 2006. His UK touring production has captured the hearts of millions of people who are obsessed with this cult musical. This musical was of course written by the legendary Richard O’Brien. His outlandish scope on gender norms and taboo subjects of the 1970s you think would be looking pretty tired by 2024, but it’s quite the opposite. This musical’s themes and issues still stand as relevant in the 21st century and are eaten up by the packed theatres. Nathan M. Wright’s high energy and enjoyable Choreography slips well into scenes, fits very well with the musical numbers and does not take away from Christopher’s direction.
Sue Blane’s costume (as little as there is of it) is stunning, the corsets, heels, space outfits and all the outrageous costumes that come with this musical are designed and clearly made to a high standard. The costume also goes well with Hugh Durrant’s set design, with gothic hints and contemporary styles this design works for this musical. The film reel which runs underneath the proscenium arch is very apt for this musical which has been dipped in cinematic history. Nick Richings’ lighting design is tremendous, the vast amount of lights on the stage alone is enough to dazzle the audience, how affective and efficiently they are used for each scene just simply blows their mind.
‘The Rocky Horror Show’ can be enjoyed at any time of the year but it’s known as the Halloween panto for a reason, with it’s viewing feeling even more special during spooky season. Don’t fall into the trick by not buying tickets, make sure to catch this utter treat of a musical.
Get your tickets here – https://trafalgartickets.com/pavilion-theatre-glasgow/en-GB/event/musical/the-rocky-horror-show-tickets
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