REVIEW: THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, New Wimbledon Theatre, September 17 2009

36 years on from its opening, it's safe to assume that within 24 hours of your reading this review, in a theatre or cinema, an audience will taking a jump to the left and doing The Timewarp again and again and again. And why not? Richard O'Brien's high camp homage to 1950's B-feature flicks is as popular as ever with audiences from seven to 70 years of age (and from seven stones to 27 stones in weight, given the acreage of flesh on show in the stalls).

Director Christopher Luscombe has assembled a cast that look exactly right - if they didn't, you feel that the house would rise up in revolt - Dylan goes electric would have nothing on Rocky Horror goes Urban. David Bedella brings plenty of charisma to the ringmaster role as Frank 'N' Furter, belting out Sweet Transvestite and sneering and flirting with the cast and audience from his introduction to the crowd-pleasing send-off reprised Timewarp. Here's a tip though when Bedella is lording it on stage - it's fine to think of Tim Curry, but do not think of Derren Brown!

Mark Evans and Hayley Flaherty (Brad and Janet, our all-American innocents abroad) are just a bit too reminiscent of Fred and Daphne, Scooby Doo's pals, until they are introduced to pleasure, and, indeed, pleasured by Frank 'N' Furter, transforming them into more rounded lovers. Brian McCann delivers a superbly Rackhamesquely crooked but athletic Riff-Raff, conducting The Timewarp with aplomb and carrying just enough threat to turn villain credibly in the final act.

Best performance of the evening is undoubtedly the audience's, as a knowing panto house costumed in drag and basques, shouting out a much more lurid text than Steve Pemberton's Narrator has in hand, producing props perfectly on cue and taking Pemberton's perfectly pitched put-downs in great heart - I do believe some of them had seen the show before.

Minor quibbles for me would include Bedella's reluctance to dance - okay, the platform heels make it tricky, but I don't expect to see him feature on Strictly any time soon. Ms Flaherty's singing voice is a little shrill and too close to those of Kara Lane and Ceris Hine as Magenta and Columbia to make the most of Janet's duets and solos. But don't let that put you off - if you haven't seen Rocky before, the show will be coming to a theatre near you soon, as it tours the country over the next six months. And if you have seen it, well, fish out the fishnets and do The Timewarp again!

TOUR DATES: (more dates tbc)

17 - 26 Sept
NEW WIMBLEDON THEATRE
www.ambassadortickets.com/wimbledon
Box Office 0870 060 6646

28 Sep - 3 Oct
REGENT THEATRE STOKE-ON-TRENT
www.ambassadortickets.com/stoke
Box Office 0871 297 5454

5 - 10 Oct
MILTON KEYNES THEATRE
www.ambassadortickets.com/miltonkeynes
Box Office 0844 871 7652

12 - 17 Oct
BROMLEY CHURCHILL
www.ambassadortickets.com/bromley
Box Office 0844 871 7615

19 - 24 Oct
WOKING NEW VICTORIA
www.ambassadortickets.com/woking
Box Office 0844 871 7645

26 - 31 Oct
BRIGHTON THEATRE ROYAL
www.ambassadortickets.com/theatre-royal-brighton
Box Office 0844 871 7615

2 - 7 Nov
BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME
www.birminghamhippodrome.com
Box Office: 0844 338 5000

9 - 14 Nov
LIVERPOOL EMPIRE
www.liverpoolempire.org.uk
Box Office 0844 847 2525

16 - 21 Nov
WINDSOR THEATRE ROYAL
www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk
Box Office 01753 853 888

23 - 28 Nov
GLASGOW KINGS
www.ambassadortickets.com/King's-Theatre
Box Office 0844 871 7648

7 - 12 Dec
MANCHESTER PALACE
www.manchesterpalace.org.uk
Box Office 0844 847 2275

18 - 23 January 2010
SOUTHAMPTON MAYFLOWER THEATRE
www.mayflower.org.uk
Box Office 02380 711811

15 - 20 Feb
LEICESTER DE MONTFORT HALL
www.demontforthall.co.uk
Box Office 0116 233 3111

8 - 13 Mar
CARDIFF NEW THEATRE
www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk
Box Office 029 2087 8889

 

 

 

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