The Rocky Horror Show
Warped Time
by Richard O’Brien
Trafalgar Theatre Productions at Richmond Theatre until 3rd May, then on tour until 13th June 2026
Review by Thea Diamond
Arriving at Richmond Theatre on a most gloriously warm spring evening, a bustle of anticipation and excitement awaited. With audience members exotically dressed up to cosplay their favourite characters this was no ordinary visit to the theatre, but an entry into the most outrageously fun and energetic world imaginable, where not only the cast have rehearsed their lines, but the audience come prepared with standard interjections to heckle the cast throughout the story.
Richard O’Brien’s classic show has been running for over fifty years from it’s humble beginnings at the Royal Court’s Theatre Upstairs, before being transformed into the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975, cementing it’s cult status and becoming the longest continuously running contemporary musical.
If you, dear reader, are not one of the thirty million people to have experienced this global phenomenon, let me explain a little more. The narrator, played by stand-up Jackie Clune, exerts a master class in audience participation and ad-libing. With her clipped vowels and sharp wit, she explains the setting. Connor Carson and Laurie Chai are excellently cast as Brad and Janet, two recently engaged 1950’s squeaky clean college kids, who are on their way to meet with their high school science teacher, wheel-chair bound Dr Scott (Edward Bulligham). They get a flat tyre and are stranded in the middle of nowhere on a dark and stormy night, and this is where the subversive chaos intensifies.
They go for help and find a spooky gothic mansion, inhabited by Dr Frank’n’Furter (Adam Strong) and his minions Riff Raff (Job Greuter) and Magenta (Natahsa Hoeberigs). The set cleverly transforms between the imposing haunted house’s hallway, to the futuristic science lab, effortlessly combining popular B-movie horror and science fiction tropes of the time. Frank emerges as a Dracula like character, while Riff Raff parodies Frankenstein’s servant Igor. Job Greuter is suitably hunched and his twitches and mannerisms completely embody this creepy character.
Adam Strong provides an imposing portrayal of hedonistic Frank, who is intimidating but also hugely humorous. We later learn that they are actually aliens hailing from the planet Transsexual in the Galaxy of Transylvania, and our mad scientist is completely at ease confidently striding around the stage in stockings, basque and heels, while boasting that he has created his ideal sexual playmate in Rocky (Morgan Jackson) by using parts of his ex lover Eddie’s (Edward Bullingham) brain. He commences to show no limits as he unceremoniously provides Brad and Janet with a monumental sexual awakening and removes their innocence whilst unapologetically discarding another one of his sexual playthings Columbia (Jayme-Lee Zanoncelli).
Under Christopher Luscombe’s direction and with Nathan M Wright’s choreography, the show whips through all the famous songs and dance numbers which have given this show such unparalleled cult status, including the Halloween floor filler the Time Warp. Come prepared to give yourself over to an absolutely pleasurable yet anarchic spectacle, and see some truly memorable make up, hair and costumes, and that’s just on Richmond Green as the faithful fans queue to fill the auditorium.
Thea Diamond, April 2025
Photography by David Freeman
Mark Aspen 