‘It’s Just a Jump to the Left!…’ Rocky Horror Show, Orchard Theatre, Dartford. 09.10.2023

Having caught this musical a fair few times, I felt it was time to have a fresh set of eyes and views on this cult classic! So give a read of Guest Rose Reviewer, Harri Douglas’s views:

I have loved the Rocky Horror Show ever since I saw the film as a teenager, but I never seemed to be able to catch it at the theatre. That’s why I was thrilled when Katie asked if I could cover this one. Finally, my time had come.

Despite the January chill, I dusted off my fishnets and leather mini skirt. I suddenly remembered on my way over that my ‘Time Warp’ moves – so painstakingly learnt when I was younger – were
decidedly rusty. A quick blast of the song in the car and we were back on track. Jump left, step right, hands on hips, knees in, pelvic thrust. I purchased a glittery top hat on my way into the Orchard theatre to add to my ensemble. Good to go!

When the ever so innocent Brad and Jen, who are recently engaged, break down in the middle of
nowhere on a stormy night, they visit a nearby castle to ask for help. They get far more than they bargain for when they stumble upon a party being held by Dr. Frank N Furter and his bizarre
entourage. It has been described as a story of creation, love, hate, adventure, and most of all, sex. The UK tour lives up to all of these things.

The diehard fans have taken up their positions in the front rows, in full outfits and ready to heckle
our Narrator, Philip Franks. If you’ve never been to see the Rocky Horror Show it’s worth going just for that. There are some fabulously entertaining talk-back lines from the audience, that Philip Franks handled magnificently. If you don’t want to feel left out, you can find a ‘virgin’s guide’ on the tour’s website to help you navigate the show’s rather distinctive ‘etiquette’.

Philip Franks fits the role of Narrator perfectly. Apart from his melodic voice, he banters with the
audience with witty rapport, cracking relevant and timely jokes throughout including: referencing Suella Braverman when an audience member yelled ‘heil!’, ‘chlamydia is not just for Christmas’ and mentioning a poem he’s written called Brothers which starts ‘Harry said’. WARNING: this is not for the faint-hearted or easily offended.

The absolute star of the show is Dr. Frank N Furter, played in this production by Stephen Webb. What a voice that man has, and the swagger to match it. The audience roared when he made his entrance singing ‘Sweet Transvestite’, and again when he made his final exit. He quite literally strutted his stuff with phenomenal stage presence, made hysterical facial expressions and altogether stole the show.

This was a cast of strong and distinct voices; it is hard to single out individuals as every single
member gave it their all. Kristian Lavercombe as Riff Raff and Suzie McAdam as Magenta led a
rousing rendition of ‘Time Warp’ that had many on their feet. Kristian Lavercombe has expertly
mastered Riff Raff’s signature cackle and the right moments to produce it. This evening we had understudy Reece Budin standing in for Richard Meek as Brad, but he gave such a solid performance you would never have known he hasn’t been playing the role on a nightly basis.
Haley Flaherty portrays a convincingly meek and and mild Janet, until she sings ‘Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me’ and suddenly takes charge of both Rocky and the stage.

The costumes were everything you would expect from Rocky Horror; suspenders, corsets and
fishnets everywhere. Hugh Durrant deserves a mention for some truly creative set design to depict Brad and Janet’s car, the castle, and the extravagant rooms and laboratory inside. The band, directed by Charlie Ingles, also earned a shout out for bringing the rock n roll Rocky Horror is famous for to life.

We had a couple of minor technical issues – a broken mic for Dr. Scott and a brief moment when the curtain had to be pulled to resolve a problem on stage, but these were opening night teething issues and the cast handled them like the professionals they are. But as a whole it was a thoroughly enjoyable, hilarious night out and I can only imagine the best is yet to come with the weekend shows.

The Rocky Horror Show is at the Orchard theatre in Dartford until Saturday 14 January and tickets
can be bought here. They also have a terrific offer running until Thursday where you can get price band B tickets (usually £39) for £20 using the promo code ROCKY20, so grab them while you can! For tour dates in other locations visit here.