Rocky Horror Show

My first experience with Rocky Horror was with the film version, Rocky Horror Picture Show, back in the 1970s. I went to Coburg drive-in to a double feature. I can't remember the first film, but was blown away by the second - Rocky Horror Picture Show. It is an amazing thing to see a show like that with no expectations or prior knowledge of its themes and contents. A few years later I went with friends to one of the late night cult showings of the film.

Margaret has been wanting to go to the show for many years, so when it came to Melbourne this year we booked tickets. We actually attended the show for nothing, as Margaret booked it through our credit card loyalty scheme. The package included dinner before the show, which was very pleasant.

We went to the show four days after seeing Wicked. In many ways Rocky Horror and Wicked are diametrically opposite shows. I really enjoyed the plot of Wicked but found the songs uninspiring. Rocky Horror, of cause, has a silly plot, involving themes of Science Fiction, Sexual Deviance and Frankenstein's Monster, but has 18 fantastic and memorable rock and roll songs. Who could forget: Time Warp, Sweet Transvestite, Toucha-Toucha-Touch Me, Wild and Untamed Thing and Don't Dream It, Be It .

We really enjoyed the show. As the Age reported:

Rock and raunch from a dream cast
A vivid, energetic and great looking production
A high-octane, sexually charged show with excellent choreography and some fabulously raunchy costumes
Rock star IOTA puts in a magnetic showing…his is a sweet transvestite with plenty of juice in the tank.
Paul Capsis makes a suitably unearthly Riff Raff and finds a good partner in Tamsin Carroll’s demented Magenta
Sharon Millerchip’s Columbia is a wonderful piece of comic acting with some well-aimed high kicks thrown in.”

All delightfully decadent, so the venue, the Comedy Theatre, was very appropriate.

Publicity Poster featuring iOTA as Frank 'n Furter

One unusual thing occurred during the show. It seemed that someone in the front row got under the skin of the lead actor, iOTA. At one stage he swore at his tormentor and during the curtain calls he looked unhappily at the front row and then walked off to the surprise of the other cast members who were still taking their bows.

Margaret's only disappointment was that Darryn Hinch was not the narrator. I was disappointed for her, but not for me!

It was a great night out.