BWW Reviews: The Fugard's ROCKY HORROR SHOW an Astounding Experience

Attending a performance of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW at the Fugard Theatre is like going to a rock concert of one of your favourite good time rock bands. While the show may be different to the albums and DVDs everyone has had at home in their collection for years, the whole audience knows what they are in for when it comes to the spirit of it all. When Richard O'Brien premiered his show in the 63-seat Upstairs space in The Royal Court Theatre in 1973, I wonder if he realised what a hit it would become, transcending its cultish origins into the popular hit it is today. This slick rendition of the show, in the newly renovated main theatre at the Fugard, makes for an astounding experience. Featuring some top notch production values and a vivacious cast, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW will prove popular with both long-time fans of the show as well as those who are seeing it for the first time.

For those who are new to the ROCKY phenomenon, the plot of the show deals with the adventures of Brad and Janet, two clean-cut Americans, who stumble upon a bunch of aliens from transsexual Transylvania: the gender-bending Frank-N-Furter; his henchmen, Riff Raff and Magenta; and a bunch of assorted groupies and hangers-on, including a woman scorned, Columbia, and an assortment of Phantoms. Also mixed up in the story are an unlucky delivery boy named Eddie; Frank-N-Furter's special creation, the muscular Rocky Horror and Doctor Everett (Von) Scott, a paraplegic science tutor-cum-FBI agent who turns things around late in the second act. A Narrator and an Usherette preside over the whole affair, which moves along swiftly, skipping over plot holes through which a large UFO could fly with glee. Along the way, there are a number of iconic musical theatre songs to enjoy, among them, "Damn It, Janet", "Over at the Frankenstein Place", "Time Warp" and "Sweet Transvestite".

As the Narrator who holds the show together, Adrian Galley delivers a fantastic performance. Dry and witty, with his booming and resonant voice, his every appearance on stage is a welcome one. The dramatic weight he lends to his relatively small role is a perfect balance for Brendan van Rhyn's extremities as the almost ubiquitous Frank-N-Furter. Van Rhyn commands the stage when he is on it and manages to capture something that is all too easy to lose amidst the camp qualities of the role: he creates a Frank-N-Furter that is as attractive to women as he is fascinating to men. He also knows exactly how to play the audience, adlibbing his way through the many calls directed at the stage from the house.

Brad and Janet, the paint-by-numbers American archetypes, are played by Paul du Toit and Jenny Stead. Du Toit seems a little conflicted about how to play Brad, caught somewhere between a square jock and the ninety-eight pound loser described by Frank-N-Furter in "I Can Make You a Man". Brad is more the former than the later, and perhaps things will settle as the run continues. Stead is plays it cool all through the Act One and really cuts loose when she gets to "Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me". Hers is a delightful performance.

As Riff -Raff, Andrew Laubscher is phenomenal. He does not set a foot wrong as he cavorts through the excesses he has to suffer as a function of the narrative, belting out his songs with conviction and delivering his lines with the requisite raised eyebrow and suffering world-weary tone. And when he undergoes his transformation in the show's climax, he suddenly turns into just about the sexiest thing on stage. Matching him in that appeal is Daneel van der Walt as Magenta, who gamely fakes her way through the musical numbers and handles the comic aspects of her role with aplomb. As Columbia, Dominique is an unstoppable bundle of cuteness.

In his dual roles as Eddie and Dr Scott, Pierre can Heerden delivers some clearly defined character work, despite being stuck in two of the world's worst wigs, the rocker mullet he wears as Eddie and the short-styled nightmare he wears in a cameo as a female wedding guest in the "Dammit Janet" seqence. As Rocky, Shaun Smit is an ogler's dream, but his singing and acting are somewhat lacklustre, while Lucy Tops, featured as the Usherette that opens the show with "Science Fiction / Double Feature", delivers a super vocal on her single song in front of a screen that slowly fills with images that recall the old science fiction and horror B movies to which THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW pays tribute.

In directing his first major musical, Matthew Wild seems to have taken the opposite approach to the relatively more static nature of opera, a form in which his work has received much acclaim. Filling the stage with movement keeps the show hopping along at a lightning fast pace, but at times the imagery is too busy. Sometimes stillness is needed to direct the audience's eye to where it needs to be, on that which is moving the show forward. Without it, one's attention is free to drift to the most dominant performer on stage, often the powerful Van Rhyn and, in less pleasing moments, the over-animated Phantoms. The problem of the Phantoms is largely a choreographic one. While Louisa Talbot's work on the musical numbers is funky and high on energy, with some attention given to the development of a unified choreographic language for the show, her dances sometimes work the material too hard instead of letting the numbers simply speak through the sequences she has created.

Visually, this staging of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW has a great deal to offer, thanks to some stunning animated video projections during the show. Along with the aforementioned montage of allusions to mid-century movies, some terrific effects are achieved in Brad and Janet's early sequence in their car as well as late in the second act, where Riff Raff and Magenta's exit is a coup de theatre that has to be seen to be believed. Supported by some excellent lighting work by Daniel Galloway, the pictorial composition on stage is often breathtaking. The work on the set and costume designs, by Tina Driedjijk and Penny Simpson, is more of a mixed bag, with some elements - such as the pastiche of Michaelangelo's creation and many of the major individual costumes as well as those designed for the "Floor Show" sequence - gelling perfectly with the staging and others - like the television box that is rolled on and off and Janet's underwear, which is more ugly than dowdy - seeming to have lost touch with the overall aesthetic of the production.

The band, led on keyboard by musical director Stefan Lombard, does a great job with the score and the six musicians keep the score rocking from the first note to the last. They are supported by a very wet sound design by Aki Khan, which sometimes favours the music a little more than the performers, but not to the detriment of the show overall.

One aspect of this production that really augments the ROCKY HORROR experience is the audience participation. Inside one of the participation packs which are available at every show is an assortment of items, including confetti for the wedding, newspapers and glow sticks for the thunderstorm, streamers, partyblowers and so on. My favourite moment was when playing cards rained down on me from above during "I'm Going Home". Having been drawn into Frank-N-Furter's moment of recognition at that point in the show, I was caught off guard and as the light caught these delicate pieces of card floating down from the galleries above, the sense of poignancy intrinsic to that song was heightened as the world seemed to come crumbling down around us all.

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW looks like it should settle into the Fugard Theatre for a long and healthy run. It is a perfect show for a great night out, be it on a special occasion like landmark birthday celebration or simply a fun-filled evening with one's friends. It is super to see the Fugard taking on the challenge of producing a long-running musical. After a fantastic innings with KAT AND THE KINGS last year, it is encouraging to see them take what they learned about musical theatre there and let their expertise continue to develop with ROCKY in 2013. With BLOOD BROTHERS on the cards, the Fugard is becoming a serious competitor in the musical theatre arena in South Africa. May their work grow from strength to strength.

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW is currently running at the Fugard Theatre. Ticket prices range from R90 - R230 and bookings can be made at Computicket.

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