THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW – 50th Anniversary Spectacular
Dominion Theatre
★★★
“This golden jubilee celebration is timely but should be approached with the same glam-punk ethic that informs the show”
In the early 1970s, a cash-strapped actor by the name of Richard O’Brien was between jobs. To keep himself out of mischief through the long winter evenings he started scrabbling together a musical that combined his childhood passions: science fiction and B horror movies. It was slap bang in the middle of the glam era, and like many popular musical artists of the time he was armed with just a guitar and three chords. Australian director, Jim Sharman, was shown a small portion of the unfinished script. O’Brien bumped into Tim Curry at the gym one day. The small studio upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre was free for a try out. The rest, as they say (whoever they are), is history.
Fast forward half a century to a Sunday night at the foot of the Charing Cross Road, where the Dominion Theatre resembles the headquarters of the largest ‘Rocky Horror’ convention imaginable. Lines of Frank-N-Furters, Janets, Brads, Riff Raffs, Magentas and Columbias snake around the block, eager to pick up their ‘audience participation prop bag’ before the anniversary showing of the remastered film. Shivers of anticipation are everywhere – events like this are what turn the word ‘spectacular’ into a noun from an adjective. Some are eagerly and sweatily clutching V.I.P. Meet & Greet passes. In attendance are four of the original cast members: Barry Bostwick (Brad Majors), Patricia Quinn (Magenta), Nell Campbell (Columbia) and Peter Hindwood (Rocky). But don’t worry if you’re not a member of the elite – we all get to meet the icons for a pre-show Q&A.
Larry Viezel, president of the official ‘Rocky Horror’ fan club, hosts the evening with decorum-subverting declamation before inviting the four actors onto the stage. Questions, which may or may not have come from members of the audience, lead to well-rehearsed anecdotes from the cast. They may be preaching to the choir, but it’s a tune they love to hear again. We are here to celebrate. If you’re there to watch the film… forget it! This is all about the fans. And the fan club, of which many of its members shadow cast the movie live onstage below the giant screen. This shadow casting stretches into the auditorium with many (most) audience members vying for a piece of the action. It’s not just the sing-along treatment, but shout-along and scream-along. Stock phrases, heckles and call-and-response drown out the already booming soundtrack. Glow sticks and phone screens dominate the sightlines, which are obliterated once time-warping guitar riffs bring the entire crowd to their feet. But, hey, ‘it’s astounding’ and, with a ‘pelvic thrust that really drives you insane’, you can’t help being drawn in.
Astonishing as it may sound, some people might be coming to ‘Rocky Horror’ for the first time. Firstly… what rock have you been living under? Secondly, when you get home, watch the film in private. Or better still, watch it before going to this anniversary celebration. Initially a box office flop, its significance soon exploded, catching the zeitgeist of the time but staying relevant over the decades for each generation that discovers it. A film that celebrates gender fluidity, queer art, sexual liberation and self-expression through its anthemic mantra, “Don’t Dream It, Be It”. Tim Curry’s vampiric ‘sweet transvestite’ Frank-N-Furter has become a national icon, like the film itself that has outgrown and overshadowed its own origins. It started out as musical theatre mischief, pastiche and parody but having escaped the shackles of its creator has run amok around the world. There’s no point in containing it now.
‘Rocky Horror’ has never dated. A certified queer and camp classic it will continue to sell out theatres for the next half century. This golden jubilee celebration is timely but should be approached with the same glam-punk ethic that informs the show. It is pure party time. The shadow cast, miming and lip-synching below the screen is a distraction. But that’s nothing compared to what’s going on in the stalls and the dress circle. But, as Tim Curry’s corseted figure strides across the giant screen, imploring us to “give yourself over to absolute pleasure”, we are reminded of the enduring attraction of the film. Whether an ‘erotic nightmare’ or ‘sensual daydream’, it will be ‘treasured forever’.
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Dominion Theatre then UK Tour continues
Reviewed on 19th April 2026
by Jonathan Evans
