The Rocky Horror Show at Bournemouth Pavilion Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Helen O
How I’ve made it to the ripe old age of 45, without having seen the world famous ‘The Rocky Horror Show’, beats me! Well, that’s all changed and I can now say I’ve been fully inducted into this cult sci-fi musical classic with a bang, as Richard O’Brien’s infamous ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ rock n rolled into Bournemouth Pavilion for opening night, tonight.
The Rocky Horror Show has been seen by over 35 MILLION theatregoers, performed worldwide in 30 countries and translated in 25 different languages, since it was created by Richard O’Brien, premiering over 50 years ago, in 1973. Not only was tonight opening night in Bournemouth, but the first stop on this new National Tour.
We were seated in the Stalls, to the right hand side of the stage as you look at it and had a decent view of all of the action on stage. Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre is relatively old, and leg room can be a little on the tight side, but the seats are comfortable enough.
Directed by Christopher Luscombe, The Rocky Horror Show is billed as the biggest party and boy, does it live up to the hype. I can’t see anyone watching it and not having a complete ball, it’s so much fun.
The show tells the story of two naïve college kids, Brad Majors and his new fiancée Janet Weiss, who’s car breaks down outside of a creepy mansion, whilst they are on their way to visit their former college professor. The mansion is owned by the charismatic, if not a little sexually provocative Dr Frank ‘N’ Furter. They head inside the castle in the hope of using the phone and encounter the castle’s inhabitants, which results in an adventure that they’ll never forget!
Of course, I’ve not been living under a rock, so although I hadn’t seen the show before, I am very familiar with The Time Warp and we didn’t have to wait long before our first proper sing along moment of the show. Absolutely brilliant and it got some of the audience to their feet very early on!
Featuring Adam Strong as Frank N Furter, wow, did he have a stage presence, from the moment he burst onto the stage with his rendition of ‘Sweet Transvestite’. What a voice.
Lauren Chia as Janet and Connor Carson as Brad were perfectly cast as the naïve lovers. Performing all of their songs with fabulous vocals and absolute conviction from the get go, with a brilliant rendition of ‘Dammit Janet’. My favourite moment of the night was the ‘bed scene’, which was played out brilliantly and absolutely hilarious. Well done to all involved.
For me, Nathan Caton as Narrator, was the stand out performance of the night, with his quick-witted retorts to the heckling audience, which quite frankly had the audience roaring with laughter. I particularly appreciated the topical themes that were included too. I’m glad I had been primed about the hecklers beforehand, as otherwise, I’d have wondered what on earth was going on!
The orchestra were subtly positioned on stage for the entire performance, above the main stage, which was great to see. The music was fantastic. The set was also brilliantly designed, to allow quick and seamless changes.
With a running time of approximately 2 hours, including a 20 minute interval, the cast maintained the energy on stage throughout the entire performance, from the moment it started to the exceptional finale, keeping the audience engaged throughout. What a blast!
The tickets range between £25 and £43, so there’s a ticket price for everyone’s budget to see this fabulous show! I think it’s great value for money.
Despite there being a few empty seats tonight, the atmosphere in the audience was electric! It was clear that so many of the audience are dedicated followers of the show and have watched it countless times before.
There was a good proportion of the audience dressed up as characters from the show, which added to the atmosphere. We were provided with some props and a participation guide, as to when to use the props, but the hints were so subtle, that we missed them, which was a shame.
Everyone was on their feet at the curtain call for a richly deserved standing ovation…so, all that’s left to say is, ‘Let’s do the Time Warp Again’.
The show is running from Monday 3rd February 2025 through to Saturday 8th February 2025, with an additional early evening show on Friday and Saturday. It is recommended for age 12 years and over, which I think is completely appropriate, given some of the language and the themes in the performance.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: Tickets range from £25 to £43 depending on date and seating location.
Buy tickets here: www.bournemouthpavilion.co.uk
Full address of the Theatre: Bournemouth Pavilion, Westover Road, Bournemouth, BH1 2BU
Photo credit: Bournemouth Pavilion.