It’s fast becoming an annual tradition at the New Theatre in Cardiff and the reason is simple, we all love the ROCKY HORROR SHOW. The current tour is at the theatre this week and this review comes with a bit of bad news if you haven’t yet booked tickets, the entire run this week is sold out. Our advise is to check in with the theatre to see if there are any returns.

There will be elements of our previous review here but as any Rocky aficionado will tell you, the script and songs may be the same, the Time Warp happens when the well know dance routine is supposed to happen, but every performance is very different. The reason for that is simple – the audience.

See if you can spot yourself in our brilliant Rocky Horror Rogues Gallery……..

For me personally this is my eleventh Rocky outing and each time I’ve left the theatre having enjoyed something new about the production. Take it from me, the show is brilliant, in part down to the terrific cast, many of whom have been with this tour for a good while now. But it’s the audience who are an integral part of the Rocky experience.

I was with a Rocky newbie last night and it was a much fun watching her eyes pop and jaw drop as each scene unfolded, with as much script interaction from the audience cast, who clearly know this show like the back of their hands.

If you’ve never experienced Rocky Horror, and trust me, it is a real experience, you’ll see the most bizarrely beautiful outfits, watching a half a century old show which makes this one of the most uniques shows on tour right now.

All the things you expect from a night at the theatre are thrown out the window and replaced with a wild, crazy, interactive event. And if you need proof, here’s a few of the lovely weird lot from last night to tell you what they thought of the show.

Rocky Horror couldn’t come into town at a better time. When all emphasis is on theatre etiquette, thanks to a rowdy crowd at The Bodyguard in Manchester, signs are appearing at some venues telling guests to ‘observe theatre etiquette‘. The Rocky Horror etiquette is all whole new ball game, as you can see at the bottom of this page.

You might be getting your best outfit on for a lovely evening out, but the die hard fans of the show will be dressed slightly differently. When you arrive at the theatre there’s a fair chance you’ll see stockings, suspenders, basques and a whole range of wild and crazy hair and make up. The women tend to join in with that look too.

Just for the record, I have been to the show in full thigh revealing, glory, but not last night.

As with last years review, I am halfway down the page and still haven’t really told you about the show itself. I think that demonstrates just how important the whole audience experience is. If this is your first time, embrace it all, and if you don’t know the specific lines the audience shout out to the cast, just sit back and enjoy it, it is great fun being in the crowd.

This show may well be more than fifty years old, but it’s as entertaining, and actually even more relevant now than its ever been. It was written by Richard O’Brien, and had its first public airing at The Royal Court in 1973. Two years later the movie was released, making stars of the likes of Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and the late Meat Loaf.

So how do you take such an iconic piece, which has been seen and enjoyed the world over, in a whole manner of reincarnations (see what we did there?). Well, you hand the reigns over to Director CHRISTOPHER LUSCOBMBE, who has worked on the likes of Spamalot and Little Shop of Horrors and get award winning designer HUGH DURRANT on board, and you have something really special.

Rocky Horror is naughty and sexy but incredibly funny. The songs are clever and saucy and it takes a top-notch cast to pull them off, and that’s exactly what we have on the New Theatre stage this week.

The story follows squeaky-clean sweethearts Brad and Janet on an adventure they’ll never forget. In comes seasoned musical star CONNOR CARSON as Brad. Now, Brad maybe meek, but he is played superbly. Connor brings a cheeky innocence to Brad which is actually really hard to pull off, but he most certainly does.

Along with his partner Janet (LAURA CHIA), who is as good a newly engaged – soon to be Frank’n’fied woman as you’ll see anywhere) the stage is set for our B-Movie plot to unfold.

Brad and Janet get engaged in the opening scene and celebrate by heading out to see the Professor who got them together. On the way, their car breaks down, they end up at the mansion of one Dr Frank’n’Furter, who happens to be an alien and a transvestite. Frank is about to unveil his latest creation and is hosting a party to welcome the hunky ‘Rocky’ (MORGAN JACKSON) into the world.

The innocence of Brad and Janet doesn’t remain intact for long as they get caught up in the decadent world of the good Doctor and his band of playful misfits.

The role of Frank’n’Furter is equally challenging, with Tim Curry having set a very high benchmark in the movie for all future Franks to live up to – STEPHEN WEBB fills those stockings perfectly. I’m sure he won’t mind us saying that he channelled all the best parts of Mr Curry and brought something new and thrilling to the Rocky Horror party.

Stephen is in the role of Frank this evening and for the rest of the week it’s JASON DONOVAN stepping back into the role.

This show is packed with iconic characters, each of them bringing a different element, and reaction from the audience. Riff Raff is an important role in the production, but also the role that Richard O’Brien played in the movie, no pressure there for JOB GREUTER. Riff Raff is not only alive and well but has new life breathed into him by Job, who embodies all that is Mr O’Brien and something a little extra too.

NATASHA HOEBERIGS is Magenta, EDWARD BULLINGHAM plays Eddie and Dr. Scott and JAYME-LEE ZANONCELLI is Columbia. The cast is complete with RYAM CARTER-WILSON, ARTHUR JANES, HOLLIE NELSON, ERICA WILD, ALEX HETHERINGTON and STACEY MONAHAN.

As you probably know Rocky Horror also has some iconic dance moves, some of which we get to perform in the auditorium. NATHAN M. WRIGHT’S choreography puts a new spin on our original favourites, but everything we love about these routines is still there.

And finally, we come onto the Narrator, a role taken on by many a famous faces over the years. This time around we have the superb comedian NATHAN CATON, who is loving his debut acting role, as you can see in our interview with Nathan HERE.

Nathan had the audience in the palm of his hand from the get-go. He was sharp and incredibly funny, combine that with a few local references and we witnessed as good a narrator as you’ll see in any Rocky production.

Rocky Horror is raunchy, subversive and about as sexy a show as you’ll ever see. The cast and band are first class and the other players (the audience) bring a surprising element to the production, which changes with every performance, which probably explain why people go back time and time again.

The ROCKY HORROR SHOW is at the New Theatre in Cardiff through to Saturday 9th November. There are 7:30pm shows on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday there’s a 5pm and 8:30pm performances and Saturday it’s 2:30pm and 7:30pm. For more details, and tickets, go here – ROCKY. As we said however, you’ll be hard pressed to get a ticket this week, best thing is to check for returns.

A reminder Jason will be performing in Cardiff from Wednesday to Saturday

And that brings me right back to where I started, the audience. If this is your first time there are a few Rocky Rules you need to follow.

If you are dressing up for the show, don’t criticise other people’s costumes. Everyone has the right to wear whatever they wish. Some people make carbon-copies of the stage costumes, others take a more abstract approach. Some don’t dress up at all.

There are some No-No’s……….

• Suits. These are only worn by people who thought they were booking for Phantom of the Opera or Chicago, but called the wrong number.
• Sandals, anoraks or anything remotely connected with the acquisition of British Rail rolling stock serial numbers.

Talk-back lines should be used to add to the Rocky experience, don’t try to shout down other people, they might know some better lines, the best lines are the unexpected., especially if the cast start to giggle!

Audience Participation should always be complementary to the show, never just shouting out lines for the hell of it.

And the most important rule of all is…………

EVERYBODY MUST TIME WARP

This production of the ROCKY HORROR SHOW is a must see for fans and ‘virgins’ alike. It may be fifty years old but it feels new and shiny on the stage of the New Theatre in Cardiff where it’ll be till Saturday. There are 7:30pm shows on tonight (Tuesday), Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday and Saturday there are 5:30pm and 8:30pm performances. For more details, and tickets, go here – ROCKY.

And why not take a look at our original preview feature, packed with Rocky facts and dance instructions go HERE.

And as a little bonus, here is a download of the entire Audience Participation Script HERE – have a look through before you go to the theatre and you’ll have an idea of what to shout and when.