‘A bonkers funfest of innuendo, audience interaction & toe-tapping tunes’: ROCKY HORROR SHOW – Touring

Touring – reviewed at Curve, Leicester

Richard O’Brien’s cult classic hits the stage again, and once more Rocky Horror Show proves to be a bonkers funfest of innuendo, audience interaction and toe-tapping tunes.

Having seen the show a few times beforem I knew exactly what to expect from the affectionate pastiche of old B-Movies, but my husband (and co-blogger) was a newcomer, having never even seen the film adaptation. By the end, he was humming along to ‘Science Fiction, Double Feature’ like an old pro!

Some may say that a performance of Rocky Horror is only as good as its audience – the heckles, the dressing up, the dancing, the interaction – the audience become an important character in the show as the main cast onstage react to the general atmosphere of risqué bonhomie in the auditorium. Last night we had all the usual heckles and many of the funniest moments resulted from Philip Franks’s Narrator reacting to these ad libs. Franks is having a ball in the role and cracks sharp gags aimed at a range of targets, from Prince Andrew to Curve’s recent production of A Chorus Line. Lauren Ingram also impresses as Columbia in her scene-stealing tirade of daftness in the second act and Stephen Webb’s gravelly Frank is charismatically fabulous.

The tour remains in fine shape and all the classic songs sound as great as always, my favourites being ‘Dammit Janet’, ‘Sweet Transvestite’ and ‘Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me’. It’s impossible to watch the show without tapping along and the atmosphere is giddily infectious. This is a show that all theatre fans must see at least once, yet Rocky Horror only gets more enjoyable on repeat visits!

Rocky Horror Show plays at Curve, Leicester until Saturday 15th January.

For full tour dates please visit: https://www.rockyhorror.co.uk/tour-dates

The cast of Rocky Horror Show
Credit: David Freeman

‘A bonkers funfest of innuendo, audience interaction & toe-tapping tunes’: @nobillington finds Richard O’Brien’s cult classic @rockyhorroruk ‘in fine shape’ on its latest tour. #RockyHorror #theatrereviews #touring

Not Exactly Billington

Launched in 2012, Not Exactly Billington is a Leicester-based theatre blog run by Adam and Jasmine, who are keen to explore and promote the arts on a national scale while maintaining the importance of regional voices, perspectives and creative endeavours. The couple share blogging responsibilities and often collaborate on reviews, thus giving a broader response. For three years, they also successfully ran the #ReadaPlayaWeek initiative. Each week, they championed a different play, ensuring there was equal representation of male and female writers as part of their advocacy for gender equity and diversity in the arts. They tweet at @NoBillington.