Rocky Horror Show wows audience
The West End cast, with Jason Donovan playing the lead, saw the former Neighbours star, taking his role as 'Frank N Furter' to new heights as he threw himself wholeheartedly into the part, rocking the corset, skimpy black satin knickers and high heels, as he pranced and preened his way around the stage.
The producers choice of Narrator, in (Ex 2fm presenter) Jennifer Zamparelli, proved to be a wise move, as Jen was more than able to handle the hecklers and messers in the audience, quick with the comebacks, causing peels of laughter from the crowd, while never missing her cue.
Not surprising considering her pedigree in the world of entertainment, having previously performed in Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the same theatre, as well as presenting Dancing with the Stars and the hidden camera show The Fear. Nothing, it seems, can phase this lady. Jennifer Zamparelli on stage at the opening night of Richard O'Brien's legendary rock 'n' roll musical The Rocky Horror Show at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin. Pic: Brian McEvoy
The audience engaged with the cast at every opportunity, real fans of the show who knew every line and joined in with smart-ass quips and shouts at opportune moments, causing Jason Donovan and indeed others in the cast to 'quiver with antic—ipation' of the next shoutout, with Donovan grinning and giggling as he attempted to keep a straight face as 'Frank n Furter', while frolicking under the satin bedsheets with Janet AND Brad. – (Fans will get it)
Donovan who was best known in his younger years for playing the clean cut Scott Robinson in the hit Australian series Neighbours opposite Kylie Minogue, has since then had multiple hit singles and starred in various other musicals such as Chicago, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and War of the Worlds, to name just a few. Jennifer Zamparelli on stage with Jason Donovan at the opening night of Richard O'Brien's legendary rock 'n' roll musical The Rocky Horror Show at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin. Pic: Brian McEvoy
But the Rocky Horror Show has diehard fans right across the globe, and many of them showed up in force, and in costume for the opening of this crazy rockin show at the Bórd Gáis Energy Theatre last night. Men in high heels, fishnets, and corsets mingled with other bemused audience members who posed for photos with the lingerie-clad Rocky Horror fans. Jo, Nathan and Sky Flood, from Tipperary, at the opening night of Richard O'Brien's legendary rock 'n' roll musical The Rocky Horror Show at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin. Pic: Joan Larkin
The rest of the cast of this madcap crazy show were bursting with talent and energy as they lifted the roof off the theatre with their vibrant and powerful rendition of songs such as Timewarp, Sweet Transvestite and Dammit Janet.
Speaking of the demure and shy character of Janet, she was played by Lauren Chia, who has previously played Maria in West Side Story and Christmas Eve in Avenue Q, while opposite her as the geeky Brad, Connor Carson played a blinder. His previous credits include Chuck in Footloose and The Beast in Beauty and the Beast. Jennifer Zamparelli on stage at the opening night of Richard O'Brien's legendary rock 'n' roll musical The Rocky Horror Show at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin. Pic: Brian McEvoy
The rest of the stellar cast pulled the entire show together and it can only be imagined the amount of fun this lot had putting this production on the stage, and, if last nights audience was anything to go by, including the five minute long standing ovation at the end, everyone involved will have gone home with a spring in their step after a romptastic musical feast for the senses. Ryan Meharc, Sean McDermott and Emma Murphy at the opening night of Richard O'Brien's legendary rock 'n' roll musical The Rocky Horror Show at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin. Pic: Brian McEvoy
This rip roaring musical is in Ireland for a limited run, August 11th to 16th, so better move fast if you want to get your hands on tickets. Get your red feather boas out, dust off those fishnets and heels and get yourself along to the Bórd Gáis Energy theatre for the night of your life.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Neighbours lothario Stefan Dennis confirms place on Strictly Come Dancing as iconic soap is axed again after 40 years
One of his legendary co-stars has backed him to succeed on the dancefloor soap hunk Neighbours lothario Stefan Dennis confirms place on Strictly Come Dancing as iconic soap is axed again after 40 years NEIGHBOURS legend Stefan Dennis has been confirmed as Strictly Come Dancing's latest signing. The Sun revealed the hunky soap star had signed up to Strictly back in July. 5 Emma Willis and Craig Doyle announced Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis as the latest Strictly signing 5 Stefan said he has 'two left feet' Advertisement 5 He's leaving Melbourne, Australia behind for a shot at Strictly glory Credit: Alamy 5 Stefan is the latest Strictly star signing Today he appeared on ITV daytime show This Morning to share his thoughts on swapping Ramsay Street for Elstree Studios. This Morning's Craig Doyle and Emma Willis teased viewers with hints before Stefan, 66, joined them in the studio. Advertisement One was a picture of celebrity chef Gordan Ramsay and a photo of a perfectly paved street. Other clues were a sun, a villain, and a pool - all pointing to his time as Ramsay Street's Paul Robinson in the classic soap Neighours. Speaking on This Morning today, he told the presenters: "I'm pretty good I'm very excited to be doing something completely out of my comfort zone. "But because of that, quietly petrified. Advertisement "I've got left and right feet but when I look down they're actually two left ones." He also revealed his wife Gail is a professional dancer, said but he has no experience himself. He added: "Gail said, there's no turning back now!" Stefan's reveal follows a cryptic post on Instagram yesterday that hinted at his signing. He shared a photo of himself watching TV and wrote that he was still in Australia and had no idea what people were talking about, referencing speculation he will be on the BBC show. Advertisement I'm A Celebrity winner Vicky Pattison revealed as latest Strictly signing a year after best pal took part The comments were full of fans desperate to see him on the dancing programme. Now they have their wish as Stefan told This Morning hosts Emma and Craig that he can't wait to have a go. Stefan played lothario Paul Robinson in Neighbours from the first episode in 1985. However, the soap has ended for good after Amazon MGM Studios decided against making more episodes following a two year stint producing the show. It means Stefan is free to pursue other opportunities. Advertisement His former co-star Alan Fletcher, who played Dr Karl Kennedy in Neighbours, believes Stefan will be a success on Strictly. He told The Sun: "He's a very talented bloke, Stefan, and he can turn his hand to anything." The Strictly line-up is now almost complete, with just a few names left to be revealed. Among the 2025 cohort is Olympian and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Love Island star Dani Dyer, Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston and former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. 5 Stefan first appeared in Neighbours in 1985 Credit: Getty Advertisement
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Soap star reveals he was drugged and raped by two men – and his dad's heartbreaking response when he was told
The star appeared in the Australian soap for five years in the nineties HORRIFYING ORDEAL Soap star reveals he was drugged and raped by two men – and his dad's heartbreaking response when he was told HOME and Away star Mat Stevenson has revealed he was raped as an 18 year old. The actor, 56, played Adam Cameron on the Australian soap between 1989 and 1994, has told how he was attacked by two men in a horrifying ordeal. 2 Home and Away star Mat Stevenson has revealed he was raped as a teenager Credit: Instagram 2 The actor played Adam Cameron in Home and Away Credit: Network 7 Speaking about his ordeal, he told The Sydney Morning Herald how it happened after he attended a meeting to become a real estate agent. However after the event he was given a drink but began feeling dizzy. He added to the newspaper: 'This other bloke [then] came out of nowhere. I was paralysed, I was a strong young kid, I was a good sportsman, but I was paralysed.' He was then raped by the two men and blacked out. Mat revealed he regained consciousness the next day in the same room, but he was alone. 'I was in a fair bit of pain, and I was late for work,' he said. Struggling with what happened, Mat revealed he confided in his dad, adding: 'I told my dad, I said, 'I think I've just been raped', and he ignored it.' And the day after his ordeal, he received a phone call offering him a role in Neighbours. He later went on to become a household name in rival soap Home and Away before quitting after five years playing character Adam. Years later Mat revealed that he'd quit the soap for love after deciding to turn his back on fame in order to marry and have a family. He said in 2019 to the Daily Telegraph: 'After I left Home and Away, I travelled for three years and when I came back I was 27. 'I met a woman that I loved and we wanted a family,' he told The Daily Telegraph. 'And with that comes responsibility so I sought out some secure work and that's the government role I have been working in ever since.' The actor now works for the Australian government as a investigator. He shares two daughters, 24 and 21, with his wife.
Irish Examiner
18 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Jennifer Zamparelli narrates The Rocky Horror Show musical coming to Cork this month: 'It's an absolute riot'
Jennifer Zamparelli wears lots of hats. She's the mother of two children. She's also a radio presenter, TV host of the Irish winter cultural phenomenon Dancing with the Stars, screenwriter, comedy actor, entrepreneur (she co-owns a luxury hair salon) and now she's back treading the boards again in a musical, The Rocky Horror Show, which is touring Irish theatres this month. 'The musical has stood the test of time,' she says. 'It's been going since the 1970s. The creator, Richard O'Brien, also co-wrote the movie, which originally didn't do so well, but it became a cult phenomenon when it played as a late-night picture show. It garnered this huge following, with people dressing up, attracting people who didn't fit in, misfits who felt part of something. It was ahead of its time. 'It's basically about sex and liberation, being who you want to be, and gender fluidity. A bunch of aliens come down to Earth and want to have sex with everyone. When I got the offer for it, I turned to my dad and said 'Do you know what? I might give this one a miss'.' 'But then after doing some research myself, and making him watch a documentary about it, we're both fully invested in it now. It's an absolute riot. It's a lot of fun. It's still, I would say, ahead of its time, and probably needed more now than ever.' Zamparelli plays the narrator, reprising a role performed by the likes of Jack Nicholson, Danny De Vito, and Stephen Fry. 'Big shoes to fill,' she admits. She's reuniting with Jason Donovan for the production. The pair played a married couple in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert for a Dublin run in 2013. She says he has no airs or graces: 'I suppose somebody of that stature who's been on the West End and has done every musical under the sun, you'd think there'd be this persona, but he's not a prima donna. He's down to earth. Very much a family man. He just loves what he does and he's kind. That really helps when you're jumping in as a newbie to a production that's been running for a long time.' For Zamparelli, it's another chance to work with a childhood crush, having been a Neighbours TV soap opera superfan in the late 1980s: 'He might have even been a poster on my wall at one stage. I was running home to watch himself and Charlene get married at half one in the day on BBC. I'll never forget it. The wedding of the century. It's wild — he hasn't changed. He's actually got better looking with age.' Rocky Horror Show: Adam Strong as Frank n Furter. Photo: David Freeman Since leaving down her radio mic in 2024, after a decade as a presenter at RTÉ 2fm, she misses the camaraderie with her colleagues in the studio, the conversations on air — fielding offbeat stories from callers from around the country. Now that she has her 'freedom', she doesn't miss the huge commitment — 'being in the same place, same time, [practically] every single day' for 10 years. One thing Zamparelli won't give up any time soon is her role as the longest-serving Dancing with the Stars host, which she's fronted since 2019, originally with Nicky Byrne and lately with Doireann Garrihy. She loves the thrill of live television, even though the most unexpected things can happen: 'It was [nerve-racking] in the beginning. I suppose as the Sundays go on, it gets easier, but it's never a walk in the park because anything can go wrong. I've been on that stage where the whole system went down, and we had a blackout for seven minutes. But I always think 'what's the worst that can happen?'. 'At this stage, I've been through a lot of shows, but as soon as you get up to the top of those stairs, and you're looking down, and there's a live studio audience, the fear is there. It never, ever goes. I remember falling over a prop. I'm flashing my arse to the nation, but luckily, the camera had come away from me, so it was just the studio audience that got to see that sight. And I had to get through the rest of the show.' 'Covid was wild as well because we didn't know what was happening. We didn't know if we could let them dance together, and that was quite a scary time as well. And sure, look, I've been through a load of presenters as well — we've had Nicky, we've had Doireann. It's all been great. It's an infectious, joyous show to be part of. It's a bit of brightness in the darkness of winter. I start it in the depths of winter. I'm driving in, it's misery and rain. As soon as it's over, we're into spring and it's brighter. It gets me through those dark months.' Zamparelli says she has great regard for the celebrities who take on the challenge, who include the comedian Bernard O'Shea, her old sidekick on breakfast radio and the sitcom they co-wrote and starred in, Bridget & Eamon: 'They're put through their paces. They really work hard. I think anybody who gets through, even week-one, has a lot to be said for them because they've never done that before. It's live, in front of an audience. There's voting, a lot of pressure. I don't know how they do it. And I don't know how we've any more celebrities left in the country, but apparently, we do. So, we're gonna keep doing it until we've got through all of them.' Jennifer Zamparelli is touring The Rocky Horror Show, including Cork Opera House (Tuesday, August 26 – Saturday, August 30). See: A Question of Taste Best recent book you've read: I've just finished the whole Elements series — Water, Earth, Fire, Air — by John Boyne, which is a bit dark, but I do like a bit of darkness when I'm reading. They're all intertwined. I'm not a fast reader, so they're the perfect read for me. I really enjoyed those books. Best recent TV viewing: I tend not to watch much TV until the wintertime, but I did watch the latest White Lotus series. It was really good, but not as good as earlier ones. Best recent film: I wouldn't be a massive Marvel or superhero fan, but I got to go to a screening of The Fantastic Four when I was covering recently for Dave Moore on Today FM. As superhero movie movies go it's up there. It's very good. Best recent play: I went to see Tommy Tiernan in the Abbey Theatre acting in Kevin Barry's The Cave with my mom. She wasn't keen on the first half, but after they did the eulogies, it flew along. I loved it from start to finish. The whole cast was phenomenal. I really enjoyed that. Piece of music you've been listening to lately: My daughter watched Mamma Mia! and the sequel so we're on an Abba absolute freight train, which is going nowhere. We're in the car, and all she wants to do is listen to Abba on a loop. We're demented with Abba at the moment!
