Richard O’Brien’s first production of The Rocky Horror Show was in 1973. The first Australian production was in Sydney in 1974. The show has been on stage somewhere in the world continuously since then.
The Rocky Horror Show is a hit every time it is staged in Australia. Maybe that is because Richard O’Brien is a Kiwi. Maybe its because the very first producer and director Jim Sharman was an Aussie.
The fact is Australia and The Rocky Horror Show are as tight as the fishnets around Bert Newton’s legs.
You don’t mess with success when you have a show as great as this but that doesn’t mean the cast can’t play with their lines. When Newton appeared as the Narrator at the start of the show to a thunderous applause he said ‘see I’m not dead’. Craig McLachlan as Frank N. Furter also managed to squeeze in a dig at Australia’s notorious Prime Minister over his policy on healthcare.
The Rocky Horror Show may be best known for the classic ‘The Time Warp’ but over time fans of the show know the words to every song like ‘Sweet Transvestite’ and Dammit Janet’ by heart.
Amy Lehpalmer plays Janet, Stephan Mahy is Brad, Kristian Lavercombe is Riff Raff, Jade Westerby is Magenta, Nicholas Christo is Eddie and Dr Scott, Angelique Cassimatis is Columbia, Brendan Irving is Rocky, Bert Newton is the Narrator and Craig McLachlan is the star of the show, Frank N. Furter.
The Rocky Horror Show is at The Comedy Theatre Melbourne until July 12, 2015.
