Madness takes its toll at Rocky Horror Show

The Pieter Toerien Theatre was overrun with Magentas, Columbias and Riff-Raffs who were welcomed to the event by flirtatious, cross-dressing usherettes.

The moment the house lights dimmed and the first notes of Science Fiction/Double Feature were heard, the crowd went wild, and stayed that way throughout the show. Everyone was given a “participation pack” filled with streamers, confetti, newspapers, and other Rocky necessities to use when given cues by The Narrator – not that much guidance was needed. The majority of the crowd seemed to be made up of Rocky aficionados who had their props at the ready long before they were needed.

Janet’s name was always followed by the word “slut”, yelled by the audience, and Brad’s name was followed by something less printable.

The cast handled the customary heckling with ease and basked in the crazy behaviour of their captivated audience. Their energy was contagious and even the most subdued audience member got caught up in all the mayhem – and mayhem it was. At intermission, it looked like a wedding, a Barmitzvah and a few New Year’s Eve parties had thrown up in the theatre.

From left: Andrew Laubscher as Riff Raff, Daneel van der Walt (Magenta), and Dominique Maher (Columbia). Picture: Supplied.

The star of the show, as it should be in any production of Rocky, was the fabulously batty Dr Frank ‘N Furter played by Brendan van Rhyn. While his towering height already gave him an unrivalled presence, it was his hilarious and unpredictable performance that made the show. More than one audience member who dared to shout a comment his way was met with a stinging response that left everyone in stitches.

Be warned that The Rocky Horror Show is not for the faint-hearted. A few of the scenes are quite raunchy, and the language would make your great aunt gasp. The show offers no-holds-barred fun and plenty of laughs, though, so if you’re looking for a good night out, get out those feather boas and do the Time Warp again!

INFO

Performances run on Tuesday to Fridays at 8pm, on Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm and Sundays at 2pm and 6pm. Tickets range in
price from R100 to R350 and are available through computicket.com or at the theatre box office (011-511-1818).