The Rocky Horror Show | Crown Perth | til March 4th | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
There’s a very good reason The Rocky Horror Show has been lauded as a cult classic since its inception in the 1970s, and this year’s production is a testament to the brilliance of Richard O’Brien’s work.
Entering the Crown Theatre to seats covered in red feather boas, the crowd is invited to get into the mood for the fabulous ride ahead. The audience was visibly shaken by the sudden boom that indicated the beginning of the show, an appropriate fright to set the tone.
The Usherette, played by Amanda Harrison who later reappears as Magenta, welcomes the theatre to the Science Fiction/Double Feature and her powerful voice lets us know we’re in for a top quality performance.
Janet (Michelle Smitheram) and Brad (Rob Mallett) are introduced after the curtain falls back, and they are perfectly cast as our saccharine sweet couple who are about to fall into the clutches of the twisted Dr Frank-N-Furter.
As our unwitting couple reach the castle, the set is slowly revealed as a beautifully eerie Gothic castle, replete with demented accouterments that let the unfamiliar know what to expect, and tantalise fans as they wait Frank-N-Furter’s debut…
Rocky Horror fans are also blessed with an extra-special treat when the show’s original creator Richard O’Brien appears to narrate the tale with his signature eloquence, and was greeted with appropriate applause.
After an absolutely mesmerising performance of the unforgettable Time Warp, the Doctor makes his grand entrance. Newcomer Adam Rennie is greeted with thunderous applause as he swans into the room in the character’s signature suspenders and gives a wonderful rendition of the most antici… pated number in the show; Sweet Transvestite.
Suffice to say I will always hear the song in Tim Curry’s unique drawl, Rennie gives his own take on the number and it stands strong on its own.
Each member of the cast gets their chance in the spotlight, and none disappoint for a moment. Nadia Komazec, however, is an absolute stand-out as Furter’s former lover Columbia, delivering her lines with a delicious mania that had the audience screaming for more.
On top of the cast’s wicked talent, the show is laden with its hallmark filthy humour that had me squirming in my chair – having brought my mother along as my guest – but she was laughing much louder than I when Frank showed Brad and Janet his expertise in the bedroom. I may have underestimated her.
If you’re a fan of the original musical and film, or if you’re innocent enough to have never seen either, this production is an absolute must see!
Don’t miss The Rocky Horror Show at Crown Perth before it ends on March 4th.
Leigh Andrew Hill
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