One of the most notorious shows in musical history increased it’s notoriety before it even hit the stages of Brisbane.
The main character of Frank n Furter was to be played by Craig MacLachlan who had previously played the role the last time the show was in town. After a range of alleged sexual assaults by Mr MacLachlan surfaced, he was fired from the production. The decision has to be commended by the Company, however as they say the show must go on.
With the show being so absurdly risqué and playing against all sorts of social conventions there is a part of me that thinks, would this show be as popular if it was released now? However, the biggest indicator to how the show survives and continues to amaze, is by just how much fun the audience has in watching the show.
The Rocky Horror Show is a cult favourite and at the show you can tell there are diehards who have been numerous times before and are very much a part of a Rocky Horror community. The production is seamless and delivers the same thrills, laughs, engagement and enjoyment that you come to expect from The Rocky Horror Show.
The cast is excellent all round and perform their renowned roles with confidence and enthusiasm. Michelle Smitheram as Janet and Rob Mallet as Brad are vocally fantastic and provide the right amount of repressed naivety that delivers big laughs. The combination of Nadia Komazec as Colombia, Amanda Harrison as Magenta and the magnificent Kristian Lavercombe as Riff Raff are all fantastic and anarchically pull you into this world of unrestrained fun with incredible commitment to their characters.
The main event of Adam Rennie as Frank n Furter performed very admirably. It’s a difficult role to step into and the circumstance of which probably adds a whole extra layer of pressure. I enjoyed his take on what must be one of the toughest roles in musical theatre history. His voice was engaging and still had that engaging prowess to command the role. I very much enjoyed his performance but there were some of the moments I felt could have been grittier and moments where audience interaction would have killed the audience. It’s these traits that probably come with being comfortable in the role and I’m sure he will get there because Rennie is such a talent and once he does, he will be one hell of a Frank n Furter.
No other show in the world can create the amount of laughs, engagement and community like The Rocky Horror Show. It hits all the right notes and at the end there’s erupting cheers, smiles and of course doing the Time Warp again. Give yourself over to absolute pleasure and make sure you see this show before it’s too late.
By Jack McDonnell
Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show
QPAC
31 January - 7 February 2018