The Rocky Horror Show | Richmond Theatre

The Rocky Horror Show takes a huge jump to the left and a step to the right into the beautiful Richmond Theatre this week and we were kindly invited to the press night of the latest tour of this cult classic, rock and roll musical.

This production brings a freshness to this timeless musical, making it as relevant today as when it was first performed in the early 1970s. It packs a punch from start to finish, it's fast paced, side splittingly funny, and has a cast that sells every note, movement and line with every fibre of their being.

A special mention here for the band led by Josh Sood as they smashed it out the park at this performance, together with sound design by Gareth Owen, they made sure this classic rock and roll score reverberated through the entire auditorium.

The kaleidoscope of colour in this production was breathtaking, it brought vibrancy and subtlety in all the right places so kudos to Nick Richings for his lighting design. Together with the classic set and stunning costume designs from Hugh Durrant and Sue Blane respectively, these elements all combined to bring Richard O'Brien's writing to life.

There are no weak links in this formidable cast, all of whom are from theatrical grounding, which makes such a pleasant change from the often "stunt casting" tours. Adam Strong is a commanding Frank, played with the perfect blend of campery and intimidation and with exquisite vocals ranging from sultry in places to falsetto, a highlight being his rendition of Don't Dream It...Be It.

Connor Carson as Brad and Lauren Chia as Janet, our squeaky clean sweethearts, have tremendous chemistry and both excel vocally, and Chia really plays Janet's arc from shy young girl to seduced woman expertly. Job Greuter gives a wonderful physical performance as Riff Raff, Natasha Hoeberigs as Usherette/Magenta is a real livewire on stage and Jayme-Lee Zanoncelli as Columbia, completing Frank's trio of minions, gives an entertaining performance especially in the scene where she's "gassed" by Riff Raff.

Morgan Jackson is a fantastic Rocky, full of athleticism and a great voice to boot, and Edward Bullingham in the dual role Eddie/Dr Scott has a solid rocky vocal. Our four talented Phantoms, Ryan Carter-Wilson, Arthur Janes, Hollie Nelson and Erica Wild sung and danced wonderfully throughout and kept scenes moving seamlessly. A real highlight in this show is Jackie Clune's turn as narrator. Her razor sharp wit and rapport with the audience was phenomenal. She mixed the traditional comebacks with current, relevant retort which had the audience in hysterics.

But, what this show is famous for is the audience participation element and Richmond was in full voice and you could feel all the cast feeding off of this throughout. 

This show may be over 50 years old, but this production proves that if you get all the key elements right, stay faithful to its roots yet freshen things up, then it's sure to be a hit for at least another fifty years. It's funny, edgy, rocky and fast paced and leaves the audience wanting more.

Don't dream it..... SEE IT!!!

The Rocky Horror Show runs at Richmond Theatre until Saturday 03rd May 2025.

Tickets and More Information

★★★★★ (5*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by David Freeman