Hearty horror will make you squeal with delight
JOBURG - As far as theatre productions in South Africa goes, The Rocky Horror Show is enjoying unprecedented popularity.
The catchy songs of this evergreen show has been shocking and delighting audiences the world over for years. After starting its run at The Fugard Theatre in Cape Town last year, there has barely been an evening without a full house according to the theatre’s Facebook page which already boasts more than 24 000 likes.
The show is set to open at Pieter Toerien Montecasino Theatre at the end of January, but overwhelming demand for the show in Cape Town means the cast is going back to The Fugard Theatre in July.
This means tickets to the limited 10-week run in Johannesburg are already scarce.
The Fugard Theatre’s executive director Daniel Galloway said, “Never in our wildest dreams did we think that our production of the show would create this sort of response from our audiences. We knew it would be popular but we were literally, night after night, overwhelmed by the incredible audience response.”
Perhaps the flavourful South African cast is the reason behind the success. Brendan van Rhyn leads the show as Dr Frank-N-Furter, with Paul du Toit starring as Brad, Andrew Laubscher as the menacing Riff Raff, Pierre van Heerden in a duel role as Dr Scott and his doomed nephew Eddie, Daneel van der Walt as Magenta and Dominique Maher as the quirky Columbia.
Adrian Galley sets the scene as the Narrator, while Shaun Smit bares all for his role as the drool-worthy Rocky.
However, a homegrown cast still doesn’t explain the phenomena this show has caused. Maybe it is that the audience is as much part of the show, in true Rocky Horror tradition.
Show-specific participation packs for sale at each performance has been a huge hit and make for even more fun as theatre-goers follow instructions to immerse themselves in the production. Dressing up has also proven very popular among audiences with fishnets, leather and feather boas dotting the theatre at every performance.
The audience is more part of the show during the Joburg run with an online competition to find the best dressed among the groupies who stand a chance to win an iPad Mini.
The charm behind the show may be just the fact that after all these years it is still fabulously freaky.
Details: www.computicket.com
