Review: Cult classic The Rocky Horror Show hits New Wimbledon Theatre

When Daddy T and I turned up at New Wimbledon Theatre to review The Rocky Horror Show on Monday evening we started wondering if perhaps some of the actors were coming through the main door before the show started, as we spotted people in costumes. There were corsets, maid outfits and pink dresses, and in the foyer there was a standing double bed for selfies. The Rocky Horror Show seemed to have the theatre buzzing even before the show started.

We were newcomers to the show, but Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show, which premiered on Drury Lane in 1973, is seen as a cult classic and has been dubbed one of the most influential plays in post-war Britain. The adult-themed show has been performed in more than 30 countries and to celebrate the 40th anniversary, Christopher Luscombe created a new production, which has been on a world tour and now returned to the UK.

The Rocky Horror Show, which is playing at New Wimbledon Theatre until 16 February, tells the story about loved-up couple Brad and Janet–played by A1 boyband star Ben Adams and Strictly Come Dancing pro Joanne Clifton. The two are on their way to see an old professor when they seek help after experiencing car problems, and they follow a butler called Riff Raff into a castle belonging to Dr Frank-N-Furter (played by West End end star Stephen Webb). During the crazy night, Frank-N-Furter takes his guests into his laboratory to introduce them to Rocky–the man he’s created–and then seduces both Janet and Brad.

When reading the beginning of the story, it could sound pretty innocent, but the show is only appropriate for adults and some of the costumes are rather minimalistic. There were a lot of corsets, black suspenders belts and stockings –on both female and male actors– and Rocky was only wearing leopard-print briefs. The shows explores themes of sexuality and gender, and it can come across as a combination of a musical and a pantomime with cross-dressing, comedy and plenty of audience interaction.

The narrator–played by comedian Dom Joly–was regularly interrupted with callbacks from the audience, and the show practically takes audience participation to a new level. In fact, after going I realised there’s actually a script for audience callbacks that could be found online and after reading it I recognised a lot of the dialogue we heard on the night.

We soon felt like complete novices to this cult production, but what we hadn’t missed out on was the popularity of the musical’s hit song The Time Warp. Already in the first act some audience members danced along to the song, and by the end of the show even we were up on our feet time warping and bursting with laughter.

To experience The Rocky Horror Show live made for a memorable evening out because of the audience callbacks and the lively production. For parents who are up for a good laugh and could see themselves time warping in Wimbledon, now is the time to catch Richard O’Brien’s cult classic.

Tags: Date night, Musical, New Wimbledon Theatre, Review, The Rocky Horror Show