Review: The Rocky Horror Show, New Wimbledon Theatre

Review: The Rocky Horror Show, New Wimbledon Theatre

Summary

Rating

80

Excellent

Great Scott! What a fabulous night!

As tempted as I am to let the all time cult classic speak for itself, some exploration into this play might be appreciated and I am willing to indulge in it all over again. Join Brad and Janet on their strange and erotic journey of sexual exploration in this musical, which will leave you thirsting for more.

Despite having watched the film countless times and numerous interpretations of the show, as soon as the familiar chords of ‘Science fiction double feature’ began playing I was instantly shivering with antici…pation for the rest of the show. Magenta’s (Suzie Mcadam) strong entrance and incredible vocals, in her ice-cream seller outfit, is the perfect way to lure the audience in for more.

The ensemble scenes, with each character trying to out-weird the next, made all of the dances absolutely hilarious no matter where you looked; each cast member was entirely watchable in their own right. There’s nothing like a whole cast unanimously drooling over Dr Frank-n-Furter’s (Stephen Webb) creation. While the group scenes are strong, each individual manages to get their chance in the spotlight for all the ballads.

A highlight is Jackie Clune’s interludes; despite the show playing for over 50 years, she manages to add a unique charm to the character of the criminologist. As the audience hurled the familiar calls at her, each one getting dirtier than the former, her comebacks were consistently brilliant (and just as dirty).

The play is very fast-paced, moving quickly from each song (which are all incredibly well performed) to the next. At times it felt slightly rushed and the dialogue was very quick, but this at least meant that the ball wasn’t dropped and the energy stayed high throughout. 

Their costumes gave the characters a new twist, whilst still paying homage to the original film and keeping the most important features similar. Janet’s (Hayley Flaherty) 1950s-style dress and petticoat only added to her innocence in the beginning, whilst Columbia (Darcy Finden) sparkled in a new glittery shorts and waistcoat combo. Others remained similar: Magenta in her usual mesh maid outfit – leaving little to the imagination – and Riff Raff (Kristian Lavercombe) in his classic dirtied butler’s outfit.  

As you can imagine, this is the perfect night out, as ridiculous as Rocky Horror always is. An incredible cast, costumes, and songs, yes, but the main success is how great a time every single person in the theatre was having. Don’t waste your hard earned money on a night in a club, concert or comedy show – go see The Rocky Horror Show.  

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Written by: Richard O’Brien
Directed by: Christopher Luscombe
Design by: Hugh Durrant
Costume design by: Sue Blane
Sound design by: Gareth Owen
Choreography by: Nathan M Wright
Lighting design by: Nick Richings
Music supervision and direction by: Greg Arrowsmith

The Rocky Horror Show plays at New Wimbledon Theatre until 26 November. The show then continues its tour with dates currently until August 2023. Full tour dates can be found here.