Latest news with #RockyHorrorShow
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Rocky Horror Show cast get ready to Time Warp in Belfast
The cast of the touring production of the Rocky Horror Show have paid homage to one of the show's original stars, who is from Belfast. Patricia Quinn starred in the original stage production and in the film. It is also a "full circle moment" for Connor Carson, from Killinchy in County Down, who is playing Brad Majors in the touring Rocky Horror Show first opened as a stage production in the Royal Court in 1973 and then became a film starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon. The popular show has built up a huge cult following over the years as fans follow the adventures of Brad Majors and Janet Weiss who accidentally find themselves in Frank-N-Furter's country mansion living alongside the perfect man Rocky and domestics Riff Raff and Magenta. The iconic Time Warp dance is also a hugely popular feature of the show. Patricia Quinn played Magenta and the Usherette in the Royal Court production and subsequent film. Natasha Hoeberigs is now playing Magenta and the Usherette and is proud to be part of a show with such an important legacy. "Incredible people have come and gone through the show over the years, like the amazing Patricia Quinn," she said."To step into the shoes of a role that she originated, it's a blessing, it's a dream come true," she said. "I grew up as a child in New Zealand watching the film and watching her portrayal and thinking that's amazing,". In Hamilton in New Zealand there is a statue of Riff Raff. Rocky fans have tried to get a Magenta statue organised in Belfast. Ms Hoeberigs believes it "has to happen". "I think we need to start a petition and I think everyone who is a fan of Rocky Horror needs to get on board with this and we must pay homage to Patricia Quinn and her Magenta," she said. "Richard O'Brien has his statue in Hamilton in New Zealand and it would be so special to have one here in Belfast." Connor Carson used to perform in amateur shows in Belfast and Lisburn before training professionally. He has now performed in the West End and Rocky Horror is his first UK tour."The first professional show I ever watched as a little kid was here in the Grand Opera House so it's definitely a full circle moment to come back here and be playing one of the leads in Rocky Horror - it's a pinch me moment," he says it is very comforting to hear Northern Irish accents in the crowd and meeting him at stage door. "It's such an iconic show and people love it so much so it's great to bring that to Belfast as well," he said. "There is pressure here as I've a bunch of family and friends coming to see it this weekend. "It's amazing to be part of something that means so much to people and that they can connect with. It's really special."One of Connor's favourite bits of the show is getting to perform the Time Warp, particularly during the finale. "Doing the Time warp is an iconic piece of choreography, everyone has been doing at primary school discos since they were five years old," he added. The Rocky Horror show is currently playing at the Grand Opera House in Belfast before moving on to Dublin and then the Millennium Forum in Londonderry.
Spectator
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
I've rarely seen a happier audience: Grange Festival's Die Fledermaus reviewed
'So suburban!' That's Prince Orlofsky's catchphrase in the Grange Festival's new production of Die Fledermaus, and he gets a lot of wear out of it. You couldn't really describe the Grange Festival as suburban – it's hard to imagine a corner of the Home Counties that's more remote from urban civilisation. No, if the vibe at Garsington is plutocratic, and West Horsley is pure Stockbroker Belt, the Grange Festival is definitely county, in a comfy, faded, Aga-and-chintz sort of way. The picnic takes precedence over the opera, and you'll see evening wear that was new around the time that Alan Coren retired from Punch. Anyway, this lively Die Fledermaus knows its public and wants them to enjoy themselves. It's directed by Paul Curran, whose 2023 production of The Queen of Spades was the best thing I've ever seen at the Grange, and it's set in a generic mid-20th century. The promotional blurb talks about the 1920s but you could have fooled me, unless you count Ida's Josephine Baker-ish outfit in the Act Two party. Even there, though, the style is more Rocky Horror Show: men in suspenders, flashing lights and lots of cosy, old-school British naughtiness. I've rarely seen a happier audience; they were positively bubbling on the way out. Paul Daniel conducts the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and he doesn't hang around. No mannered imitation of Viennese style here, just warm colours, buoyant dance rhythms and a constant, energising swing. The singers didn't always feel entirely on the same page, but that might have been first-night awkwardness. Any Fledermaus that casts Ellie Laugharne (a mockney Adele, with diamond-tipped high notes), Ben McAteer (enjoyably dark-edged in every sense as Falke) and Darren Jeffery as a larger-than-life Frank, is never going to sound too shabby – even if the supporting characters did rather overshadow the more reserved central pairing of Sylvia Schwartz (Rosalinde) and Andrew Hamilton (a very straitlaced Eisenstein). Still, it'd be churlish to grumble when you've got an Orlofsky as ripe as Claudia Huckle, or (as Alfred) a tenor as sunny as Trystan Llyr Griffiths. The jailer Frosch, whose Act Three monologue can scupper or save a Fledermaus, has become Frau Frosch – a pantomime dame played by Myra DuBois, who got one of the biggest laughs of the evening by turning a spotlight on the post-supper Grange audience ('The devil wears Bonmarché'). You need a genuinely gifted comedian in this role, and the Grange clearly has one. Odd, then, that certain gags got run into the ground, and even DuBois seemed momentarily baffled by a passing reference to El Salvador – not the first occasion that the English text emitted a musty aroma of 1980s sitcom. Sure enough, it turns out that they're using a translation by John Mortimer. Gloriously on-brand for the Grange, of course, but it's a pity that they couldn't have given the gig to one of the many excellent living opera translators who might have valued the work. And who might, perhaps, have avoided the grisly pile-up of failed rhymes, mis-stressed syllables and rhythmic distortions that dear old Rumpole apparently thought would pass muster as singable lyrics. I'm being pedantic, no doubt. Operetta is fluff and the words are disposable, right? This is the UK's only major production of one of Johann Strauss's stage works in this, his bicentenary year. Strauss aimed to entertain, and for this crowd, in this place, this Fledermaus does precisely that. At Garsington, Ruth Knight's staging of Handel's Rodelinda divides the stage into two levels, and even labels some of the characters to help you get a grip on the plot. It works surprisingly well, though there are some bizarre choices of imagery. A royal wedding scene occurs in a minimalist restaurant: quivering slabs of pig lie on shiny counters, while a pervy-looking chef sharpens his cleaver. As is often the way at Garsington, things look a lot better after the interval, when darkness has set in and lighting effects become a serious possibility. The final scenes made wonderful play with deep shadow and flickering candles. There's no chorus in this opera, but Knight deploys a squad of sword-wielding, black-robed ninja dancers, who swirl menacingly around the main characters. From an impressive cast, Lucy Crowe stands out in the title role, her firm, glowing voice drooping with melancholy and making a sympathetic counterpart for Tim Mead's equally expressive Bertarido. As the usurper Grimoaldo, Ed Lyon grappled nobly with of one of Handel's typically ungrateful tenor roles, before – at the very last – opening out in pure, poignant humanity (this is a relatively rare Handel opera where the villain's final redemption is more than mere narrative convention). Peter Whelan conducted the English Concert, and with their crunchy collective attack and smoky, sighing flutes, they were as colourful and as committed as anything on stage.
NZ Herald
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Rocky Horror stamps celebrate Richard O'Brien's iconic musical
O'Brien's play debuted in London in 1973 and was adapted for film in 1975. It has become an enduring cult classic, seen by millions of people. UK-born O'Brien, who spent his teens and early 20s in Tauranga and Hamilton, starred as Riff Raff. A statue of him in character was unveiled in Hamilton in 2022. 'We're shivering with anticipation,' NZ Post head of collectables Antony Harris said in a statement. [Ed's note: '... antici ... ... ... pation,' surely.] ' Rocky Horror has a special place in New Zealand's creative history, and we're thrilled to honour its legacy and status as a global cult hit in the official stamp programme.' The black, white and red stamps are based on officially licensed Rocky Horror Show artwork interpreted by Wellington designer and musician Chris Jones. Jones said it was an honour and a challenge to try to do justice to O'Brien's iconic characters and songs inside four small frames. 'What's not to love about Rocky Horror from a visual perspective? It's an absolute feast. I've loved getting lost in the world of Brad, Janet and Frank more than I probably should have, and being reminded of just what a genius tongue-in-cheek comment on society the show makes.' Asked how he ranked the stamps among the many ways Rocky Horror has been memorialised over the years, O'Brien told the Bay of Plenty Times it was 'yet another astonishment to ponder over'. He moved back to New Zealand permanently just over a decade ago and settled in Katikati. He has used big birthdays to throw charity events benefiting Starship Children's Hospital and supported local rainbow community events. Last year, aged 82, he took his new show, The Kingdom of Bling - a satirical fairy tale with a Donald Trump-inspired monster - on tour around New Zealand. The Rocky Horror stamps can be purchased on the NZ Post Collectables website or at selected PostShops within New Zealand – with an issue date of May 7.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Rocky Horror Picture Show' stars coming to Rockford for 50th anniversary screening
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Barry Bostwick ('Brad Majors') and Patricia Quinn ('Magenta') will be appearing at the Coronado Theatre for the 50th anniversary screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show this October. The screening will include a live shadow cast and interactive audience participation, according to press notes. A memorabilia display with artifacts and costumes from the 1975 movie and a pre-show costume contest will also be featured. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, based on the stage musical Rocky Horror Show, stars Bostwick and Susan Sarandon as newlyweds whose car breaks down near the castle of mad scientist Frank-n-furter (Tim Curry). The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be shown on Thursday, October 16th, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 25th at 10 a.m. on and via the Coronado Performing Arts Center box office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
One-man musical comedy version of Frankenstein coming to Settle
A one-man musical comedy version of Frankenstein is coming to Settle. Lamphouse Theatre will perform their show, Frankenstein (On a Budget), at Victoria Hall on June 18. The show, which parodies the original Boris Karloff films and the Rocky Horror Show while also paying homage to Mary Shelley's original story, features just one actor playing all the characters. It also features, in the words of a spokesperson, "a full soundtrack of brand new music, some decidedly dodgy backdrops, lots of weather-based puns, plenty of cardboard props, and more hats than you can throw a stick at." The show is recommended for people aged 14 and over. Producer Becky Owen-Fisher said: "Frankenstein (On a Budget) is the perfect follow-up On a Budget show, created by the same team that made War of the Worlds (On a Budget) in 2022. "We're back with a bang! "Expect electrifyingly bad effects, cardboard chaos, and a terrifyingly tenuous link to the Hammer horror films of the 30s." The show features Tom Fox in his role as Dr Frankenstein, the Monster, and every other character, with music by Rebecca Applin, direction by Mercè Ribot, and musical direction by Sam Sommerfeld. Frankenstein (On a Budget) received several five-star reviews from its Edinburgh Fringe run and a thumbs-up from comedian Dara Ó Briain, who called it "a small gem." Tickets for the show at Victoria Hall, Kirkgate, Settle, BD24 9DZ, are priced at £15. The performance will start at 7.30pm. For more information, please visit
