Enter the timewarp and forget who you are because this musical will take you for a ride! The Rocky Horror Show is famously known for its raunchy musical numbers and bawdy humour. It surpasses expectations of gender and sexuality in its unconventional depiction of queer supernatural characters as powerful leads. Two naive American college students, Brad and Janet, are thrown way over their heads into an atmosphere of chaos and confusion when their car breaks down outside a spooky castle. Brad and Janet find things are not what they seem when faced with the manipulative and seductive Dr Frank N Furter.
An extremely camp, rock-n-roll musical with a mixture of gothic and science fiction, this theatrical experience left the audience guessing at every turn. Part of the fun of Rocky Horror is the audience’s chance to interact with the performance and receive in response the narrator’s witty comebacks. This narrator played by Nathan Caton brought terrific charm to the part, able to win over the Sheffield audience with his saucy repartee modernising and personalising the jokes for both young and old audience members to laugh at. On a whole, the audience’s participation was on par with the enthusiasm the narrator emanated.
The main sweethearts Brad and Janet have their passion and boundaries put to the test by the audacious Dr Frank N Furter who tries to seduce them. James Bisp and Lucy Aiston as the innocent, prudish Brad and Janet had a lively energy and impeccable vocals together. Beginning the show with the fast paced song ‘Dammit Janet’ created an exciting buzz in the audience that the cast sustained through to the end. The 1975 film adaptation of this erotic musical stars a thrilling performance led by Tim Curry as Dr Frank N Furter. However, to a modern day audience the shock value of titillating camp characters is much lower. Nevertheless, the cast still brought an energised and sensual atmosphere, demonstrating the musical has not lost its charm.
As star of the show Stephen Webb gave a captivating performance as Dr Frank N Furter, flaunting his risqué dance moves and impressive vocals. Webb also displayed a good depth of emotion to the multifaceted Dr Frank N Furter, showing he is as equally charismatic as he is destructive. His flirtatious energy coupled with fierce authority showed his unstoppable nature. Equally commendable was Morgan Jackson’s acrobatic skills and dance moves playing Dr Frank N Furter’s plaything Rocky, making the role both comical and eye-catching.
The Rocky Horror Show continues to be as racy as ever through the vibrant costume designs, with characters decked in sparkly tailcoats, raunchy basques, feather boas and suspenders. It transports you out of this world. Fantastic set design of Frank N Furter’s laboratory and clever usage of sound effects and lighting ramp up the excitement surrounding this supernatural-esque atmosphere inside Frank’s castle.
The 50 year old musical has stood the test of time and in light of current gender and identity politics, it is important to create an accepting space of lighthearted fun for camp and non-conforming characters. Forget who you think you are and enter a world of chaos and possibility in this production.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
