…more like musical horror show. Perhaps I’m being a tad harsh. I think to really enjoy tonight ‘s performance you needed to have seen, and remembered, the original stage production or the huge 1975 movie or even any subsequent remake since then or have some basic understanding of what is going on.

The Rocky Horror Show tells the tale of a couple of “square”: Brad (or “@rsehole” to the crowd) and Janet (“Sl*t) who find themselves stuck in a remote area in the spooky woods when their car breaks down. They stumble upon a castle where they are about to experience the most interesting of evenings. Host is Dr. Frank N. Furter who is celebrating his creation of his hunky playmate Rocky (who has a body to die for if you like that sort of thing). What follows are some very strange sexapades and even a bit of violence. Its a pretty in your face production tackling subjects such as homosexuality, adultery, cannibalism, cross-dressing, transvetism etc.

I’ve been to some West End musicals which have involved the crowd getting up and dancing on their feet but this show is the one that has contained the most spontaneous crowd involvement with the crowd constantly shouting out responses to whatever happened on stage including jeering characters, shouting them off stage, yelling out vulgar jokes etc. Half the time I wasn’t sure if it was a set-up (that is, a planted audience member) or just people who really knew the show well. Clearly crowd involvement has extended beyond the verbal abuse in other showings/screenings to throwing things and cigarette lighting so there was a very stern warning at the beginning of the show that there was to be none of those shenanigans. Oh and true fans will also make sure they are dressed for the occasion.

For me this crowd involvement, next to the thoroughly engaging actor who played Dr. Frank N. Furter, was one of the highlights of the show although some of the gags got a bit old in the end and didn’t always delivery when the timing was slightly out. I guess this says something about the production if I felt that the crowd involvement was a highlight, and not the cast performance!

Overall the show felt a little confusing and although I’m sure the cast are usually probabably very good singers at tonight’s performance, with the exception of Dr. Frank N. Furter (can you tell I really liked him) and Janet, voices were very shrill and overly loud. There is no danger that you are going to fall asleep in this musical but I suggest that if you really want to enjoy it – get out a copy of the movie and watch it earnestly, pick and dress up as your favourite character, turn up and be ready to party. Its not the greatest production but true fans of the cult won’t care as they are just there for a good night out.