Womens Fashion By Joanne Louise

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

http://www.rockyhorror.co.uk/

Theatre Royal Norwich

 

Not for the straight laced or non liberal minded, take heed of the title.

From the moment you arrive, you wait and shiver with anticipation, surrounded by a great turn out of stilettos, fishnet stocking and of course do not forget the basques and mad hair.

 

The atmosphere was electric and it’s a shame that we don’t dress and have this kind of attitude towards each other every day.

 

You are warned at the beginning that no lighter waving, no water, rice or card throwing is to take place as one happy transvestite found out.

 

The show opens with the usherette singing science fiction, who also plays Magenta (Claire Parish), as the curtain rises to the wedding scene Brad (Richard Meek) and Janet (Sarah Boulton) are introduced.

 

The phantoms are cleverly used as set arranges who play an intricate part of backing singers and merge into the set so you barely notice them changing the scenes around. The set seemed so simply on how they applied their ideas but very cleaver that you tended to want to try and what them as much as the play it’s self as to not miss a single thing.

 

The portrayal of Riff Raff at the window as Brad and Janet arrived at the castle was ingenious as the very strange but not out of place strategically placed movable ladders floated him with his head in a lit up box across the stage.

 

As the party started, the whole audience stood and pelvic thrusted to the Time Warp to only reseat them selves for my personal favourite song, Sweet Transvestite.

 

As the doors opened to reveal Frank N Furter (David Bedella) the whole place went crazy as he was glad to see, that, you have met my, faithful handy man.

We weren’t strung out by the way he look in fact think most of the men were jealous they couldn’t walk in those high heels. Guaranteed he was not Tim Curry but he done a bloody good job, did think he needed to be a little more salubrious with his hips though, and his voice took you to a whole new dimension.

 

Now you could not have the Rocky Horror with out the banter, and especially for us Rocky Horror Virgins, we would not know what or when to shout this abuse out, so luckily there was a plant to prompt us along to join in with the Narrator (Ian lavender For Norwich) who intervenes periodically into the story line. The past Eastender and Dad’s Army actor, I felt was brilliant at his role and interacted and ad libbed with the audience, so did Frank n Furter who had us all in stitches as well, this show is the best that I have been to in a while and really made you feel part of the cast with verbal audience participation.

 

Following the interval I did notice that a few on the virgins never came back, which is a shame, but if they didn’t like the first half then they wouldn’t like second half with the bedroom scene, which was done very expertly, with the bed tilted over 45 degrees so all could see, the way they move to portray them as laying down was brilliant and seemed all a little to comfortable.

 

Lets not forget Rocky (Sergio Priftis) well he was a bit of a mover and a shaker, especially with his toned 6 pack baby oiled body, come on, touch me, touch me, touch me, touch me, I want to get ddiiirrrtttyyy.

 

Humour flows through out this production, just keep an eye on the hand drawn, hand wiggled tv scenes, the pictures are a giggle factor.

 

The ending was quite magical with a lit up replica castle being flown across the stage by the Phantoms in to a back ground of lit up stars, and for a comic relief style gesture, red nose were worn for the applause.

 

If this is your idea of a great night out and you have not been yet or before then do try and get your tickets,  the tour is still on till June and seems to be moving up the country.  So drop the kacks pull on the sling backs and let’s do the time warp again.

 

http://www.rockyhorror.co.uk/

 

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