The Rocky Horror Show

It’s been four years almost to the day since we did the “Time Warp” in Brisbane and if last night’s overwhelming reception was any indication it couldn’t have come sooner. The Rocky Horror Show is back again in all its glory with its excess of sequins, glitter and raunchy dialogue.

It’s a reboot of the fortieth anniversary production with a new cast (except for Brendan Irving’s Rocky) headed by last minute replacement, Adam Rennie as Frank-N-Furter. Like those who have strutted in the fishnets before him, Rennie put his own spin on the part and delivered a lusty “Sweet Transvestite.” Unlike his predecessors he didn’t bloat the role with ad-libs, but he sang it well and was funny, especially in the deflowering of Brad and Janet, which seemed to contain more explicit innuendo than normal. It’s probably not a performance for the ages, but he more than held his own in this energetic revival.

Rob Mallett (Brad) and Michelle Smitheram (Janet) were a cute couple of Ken and Barbie virgins – she with her poodle skirt looking like an Olivia Newton John clone, and he with his horn-rimmed glasses straight our of a 50s TV sitcom, while Amanda Harrison in the dual roles of the Roxy Usherette and Magenta was a class act in everything she did. Thanks to Gareth Owen’s brilliant sound design I probably heard for the first time every one of Richard O’Brien’s clever lyrical references to 50s sci-fi shockers in “Science Fiction”.

Cameron Daddo played the Narrator with a knowing wink and looked sexier than almost anyone else on stage when he stripped to his fishnets at the end, Kristin Lavercombe was a Frankenstein hokey Riff Raff, with Nadia Komazec manically filling the tap shoes of Columbia. Brendan Irving (Rocky) again looked the part with muscles coming out of his ears, while James Bryers as Eddie was a blast with “Hot Patootie”.

Nick Richings laser lighting frequently stole the show, as did Dave Skelton’s high-decibel band accompaniment, but it was Christopher Luscombe’s pacy direction that won the night. This Rocky Horror rocks!

Peter Pinne               

Photographer: Jeff Busby.