The Rocky Horror Show played at Theatre Royal Sydney from 14 February to 2 April 2023

 
Photography: Daniel Boud

The same unimaginative production from London, that has played in Australia since 2014, and is in it's 17th year in the UK, returns for the 50th anniversary of the original London opening.

Jason Donovan brigns vitality to the role of Frank, but the show is a rotting corpse of what had once been the best theatrical experience around.

Overblown, over-coloured, and bearing no resemblence to the original. It has become a British Panto playing to the lowest common denominator.

 

    

Rocky Horror Show review: Jason Donovan throws a non-PC party

The musical once shocked with its gender fluidity and sexual abandon. Now it’s a good excuse to put your brain in neutral and party.

Review: Rocky Horror Show, Sydney’s Theatre Royal, February 18

Fifty years ago at its West End debut, the Rocky Horror Show shocked audiences so much that they kept coming back – and have ever since.

For while the musical’s frank portrayal of gender fluidity and sexual abandon are no longer a novelty, it proved on Saturday night that it is still riotous and ridiculous fun.

The success of any particular Rocky Horror Show depends heavily on its Frank N Furter, the transvestite alien mad scientist in whose Texan lair/laboratory the action takes place. The good news is this production has a beauty in the form of Jason Donovan, unrecognisable from the clean-cut figure we knew as Scott from Neighbours, or Joseph with his amazing technicolour dreamcoat.

That was swapped out tonight for a corset and suspenders, but it was his edge of unpredictability and danger, and a voice that could handle everything from the heavy rock of Sweet Transvestite to the Broadway-style showstopper Going Home, that really made Donovan a magnet for the eye.

The music was once another of Rocky Horror’s revolutionary attractions – its embrace of glam and proto-punk stood apart in 1973. Five decades later it is just a great party playlist, with the likes of The Time Warp conjuring ’50s B-movie guilty pleasure, even if the band under Jack Earle sometimes rocked out to the point they obscured the lyrics.

Deirdre Khoo and Ethan Jones were convincingly middle-American as Janet and Brad, the preppy, newly engaged couple lured to Frank’s castle; Henry Rollo hilariously played with every horror movie trope as Frank’s deputy Riff Raff; Loredo Malcolm brought a touching innocence to Rocky, Frank’s muscle man creation; while Stellar Perry’s opening clarion call, Science Fiction, was a highlight before she brought an erotic charge to Magenta, one of the mad scientist’s many spurned partners.

TV presenter Myf Warhurst, meanwhile, did what she could with the Narrator role. One kept expecting the lines she was called on to deliver to be funnier – after all, no one was here for the plot points. Perhaps her script could have also been amended to confront the awkward issues around consent and toxic masculinity that linger in Rocky’s book. However, she was charming as always, and did get some laughs when dealing with a couple of smart-arsed hecklers.

The staging was excellent – a spaceship effect near the end was particularly impressive – while the costumes, both on the stage and on many of those in the audience, reflected the sexy and inclusive fun that Rocky Horror– the odd non-PC moment aside – still represents. Rock along to this one.

Michael Bailey

Michael Bailey Rich List co-editor Financial Review

Review: The Rocky Horror Show at Theatre Royal Sydney

Review by Cynthia Ning

The Rocky Horror Show struts into the Theatre Royal Sydney celebrating its 50th-anniversary production on stage since its conception in 1973, firmly placing itself as one of the great musical theatre staples still immensely popular today. The cast featured new and familiar faces taking on these flamboyant characters by the garter belt.

An excited usherette (Stellar Perry) prepares the audience for the double feature special and we were drawn into another world with The Narrator (Myf Warhurst) warmly beginning the tale. The set design is highly comical in appearance but doesn’t overshadow the performers. Brad (Ethan Jones) and Janet (Deirdre Khoo) portrayed the picture-perfect American couple destined to be married with a picket white fence like their newly wedded friends playing off each other’s adoration for one another wonderfully and were well matched vocally.

The ghouls entered with great zest, using animated facial expressions to highlight curiosity and desire for the newcomers as Riff Raff (Henry Rollo) sings upon the moon to his adoring fans. Upon entering the mysterious manor, we see opulence with the signature red backdrop and taxidermy animal heads. Minimal props and costume changes were needed as the dance numbers kept a relatively fast pace; snappy dialogue and smooth transitions maintained our attention in its duration without a dull moment.

Frank N Furter (Jason Donovan) made his long-awaited appearance in his signature alluring attire and relished every bit of laughter and applause. He was having just as much fun as the audience, if not more, through his distinctly wicked laugh and characteristic flourishes that had everyone lapping up every bit wanting more. Eddie (Ellis Dolan) brought Rock N Roll to the stage with his powerful vocals and zombie dance movies before being chased off with a chainsaw. Rocky (Loredo Malcolm) equally stunned us with his chiselled physique, athleticism, and bold gold look. He wins the hearts of his creator and brings a sweetness and naïveté to the newness of his life and sexual desires, much like Brad and Janet yet to taste the forbidden fruit.

The prop bed garnered the greatest number of giggles and was surprisingly roomy catering up to 3 people at a time. Frank N Future proved to be a true master at the art of seduction and opens the hearts of Janet and Brad to give in to their deep longing for the touch of the flesh. It was impressive to see the cast lean into bantering with the rowdy commentary from the crowd doing some ad-lib and on-the-spot improvisation without being shaken. This showed true professionalism and skill as an actor on stage.

Flirtatious Magenta (Stellar Perry) gave us her untamed wild side before switching to her true nature as the commanding leader and antagonist together with her brother Riff Raff coldly destroying the home that Frank N Furter built on Earth. You could audibly hear the audience's hearts break for Columbia (Darcey Eagle) the tap-dancing darling, who showed her love and devotion to Frank N Furter to the very end. The tragic finale rekindled the spark and reinforced a stronger connection between the two lovers, coming out to the end knowing that they will be okay.

Aside from the phenomenal vocals, the band is cleverly hidden from view on top of the theatre and together with the lighting technicians did a tremendous job in performing the songs on cue with the actors.

And yes, everyone gets to dance and sing along with the cast to the Time Warp (Again). This cult-classic musical theatre production is bizarre, over the top and devilishly delicious. A night filled with naughty fun that promises to fulfil the fantasies of new and old fans alike.

So, what are you waiting for? Dust off your Halloween costumes, grab your fishnet stockings and give yourself into pleasure.

©2017 Jabara Pazuzu Productions