Freakishly Frightful Fun as ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ Turns 50: Review 

★★★★★

Remaining true to the wickedly wacky world created by the legendary Richard O’Brien, ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ celebrates its 50^th year with the racy hilarity that has come to be expected from the iconic musical.  

Theatregoers at the Manchester Opera House radiate an excitable energy before the show even begins, eagerly tottering into the auditorium with drinks in hand and corsets laced. There is the intermittent eruption of feverish wolf whistles and applause whenever a Frank-N-Furter copycat saunters to their seat, walking expertly through the crowd in six-inch heels and a risqué ensemble.  

The moment the first notes of ‘Science Fiction/Double Feature’ sound, the musical integrity of Christopher Luscombe’s production is undeniable. The audience is instantly captivated, singing alongside the usherette (Suzie McAdam) as she seductively serenades us with her impressive voice. McAdam’s voice and tenacity on stage is something that prevails throughout the entire production, as she exuberantly takes on the role of the sly and sultry Magenta.  

Her performance is phenomenal and unforgettable, thanks in part to the incredible energy between McAdam and her co-star Kristian Lavercome, who has played the role of Riff Raff over 2200 times. His familiarity with the character is clear as he confidently commands the stage, succeeding in portraying both the freakishness and humour that Riff Raff lends to the production.  

Richard Meek and Haley Flaherty are the textbook Brad and Janet, perfectly capturing the innocent naïveté of the squeaky-clean chaste couple we meet at the start of the play. They subtly and effortlessly transform into the sexually fluid and uninhibited duo that develop as the story progresses. Their character development is aided beautifully by their harmonious and sophisticated vocal performances, displaying unquestionable versatility. They evolve coherently from the endearingly awkward duet ‘Damn It, Janet’ to Flaherty’s sexually charged solo performance in ‘Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me’.  

The star of the show, in my opinion, comes in the form of the bewilderingly sensual Dr Frank-N-Furter, played entrancingly by Stephen Webb (‘Jersey Boys’, ‘Titanic’, ‘Legally Blonde’). His chaotic, playful energy seems to infect members of the audience as well as his castmates. This energy is conveyed not only through his often-lascivious dialogue and raunchy costuming but also through his mannerisms and body movements. Particularly in Frank-N-Furter’s sex scenes with Brad and Janet, Webb seems to push his use of physical comedy to its absolute limits, resulting in the outrageously entertaining performance we see on stage.  

Every castmember brings personality and charm to their performance in every single way, demonstrating immense vocal capability and perfectly executing Nathan Webb’s animated choreography. For me, the production encompasses everything that ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ is and has come to be – a weirdly wonderful concoction of sex, absurdity, comedy, and most importantly, freakishly frightful fun.  

The production runs in the UK until 16 September 2023.  

Words by Violeta Paez

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