Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show At Mayflower Theatre, Southampton Review

Reviewed by Mel S-W

Well Monday nights are never going to be the same again! What an experience….. Other theatre shows are going to seem …… Boring and low key in comparison.

We arrived at the theatre having parked just around the corner (£2 to park for the evening), having had a very atmospheric dining experience next door in the Mayflower Village, where everyone was dressed up, Rocky Horror Picture Show music was being played and there were occasions of “rain” inside. There was tap dancing and the Time Warp was also practiced which helped for the show. This was a great start to the evening and we were joined by other theatre goers who were dressed up.

The good thing is, is that you don’t have to dress up, you just have to be comfortable in what you are wearing and be able to have a good time. If it helps, about a third of the audience were dressed up which ranged from a sparkly hat to full on corsets and fishnets.  Those who were dressed up looked amazing! Full of sparkle and sequins but the audience was buzzing with antici…………. pation. The audience was also a good mixture of ages and genders with a diverse audience, it is truly a show that can be watched by all with a sense of humour.

The staff in the Mayflower were as helpful as ever and were. When asking for help, nothing was too much hassle and was always assisted with a smile. Nothing was too much trouble. The theatre itself is very grand inside. We were situated on the stalls (seats P9 & P10) where it was very nice to have comfortable seats. There was a good incline so we had an excellent view of the stage to enable us to take in all of the action. There was a fair amount of leg room available and there were no obstructions to our view.

What can I say about Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show…. Philip Franks was hilarious as the Narrator. Lots of good repartee with the crowd and retorts to the well timed shout outs from the audience. There were quite a few “Virgins” in the crowd (those among us who were experiencing The Rocky Horror Show for the first time) who didn’t know the quick witted responses but we appreciated the exchanges and found them hilarious.

The costumes and corsetry were beautiful and Stephen Webb (Frank N Furter) really rocked the suspenders and his stage experience shone through! Haley Flaherty who played Janet had amazing vocals especially where Janet’s songs were of such high pitch. She was funny and ditzy played the part so well. I particularly found the bed scene hilarious….. Watch out for it!

It was great seeing the band perched at the stop of the set, the music was on point and helped to get everyone on their feet. The set was cleverly designed so that it could change so quickly from one scene to another.

The atmosphere in theatre was electric, everyone was buzzing, laughing, signing and dancing. If you have any fears that you won’t fit in if you don’t have the right outfit, or you will stand out of you forget your sequin hat then fear not, everyone was made to feel welcome. Everyone was on their feet and dancing to the Time Warp for the curtain call. Such an amazing show that has caused my cheeks to hurt from smiling and laughing throughout. Definitely completely different to what I would normally watch but thoroughly enjoyed the immersive theatre experience and highly recommend.

Rating: I would give the show an overall 5 out of 5.

The tickets cost from £19.50 and was a very reasonable price for the tickets.
Tickets can be booked by visiting https://www.mayflower.org.uk/

Mayflower Theatre 22-26 Commercial Rd, Southampton SO15 1GE