The Rocky Horror Show, June 14, 2015 ****

 Music, lyrics & book by Richard O’Brien
Produced by produced by Howard Panter (Ambassador Theatre Group) and John Frost (Gordon Frost Organisation)

Where & When: Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, to July 12 2015

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

Stars:  ****
Show opened  on Sunday June 14, 2015

All pics taken by Joe Calleri at the Media Call today, Friday June 12, at The Comedy Theatre. KH

The Rocky Horror Show is back to rock and shock Melbourne again and Craig McLachlan is still shamelessly hamming it up as the ‘sweet transvestite’ alien, Frank N Furter, sporting corset and fishnet stockings while teetering on high heels.

McLachlan is audacious and ostentatiously camp as Frank, the provocative, strutting, beefcake, drag queen with a multitude of seductive, sexual peccadilloes.

He taunts his adoring audience with outrageous, mock depravity, comic ad-libbing and risqué innuendo, meanwhile seducing his hapless house guests, Brad and Janet (Amy Lehpamer, Stephen Mahy) with decadent parties and dissolute excesses.

The sexual antics become a bit adolescent at times and begin to pall after the first act.

In the 1970s, Richard O’Brien, who single-handedly wrote music, lyrics and book, blended trashy drag shows with 1950s B Grade movies to produce this unforgettable and originally controversial rock musical.

The crowd pulsates and sings along to favourite dance tunes, Time Warp and Sweet Transvestite, and a repertoire of hits that includes: the 50s-style Science Fiction/Double Feature, the anthemic tune, Over At The Frankenstein Place, the impudent Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me, and Damn It, Janet.

The crowd pulsates and sings along to favourite dance tunes, Time Warp and Sweet Transvestite, and a repertoire of hits that includes: the 50s-style Science Fiction/Double Feature, the anthemic tune, Over At The Frankenstein Place, the impudent Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me, and Damn It, Janet.

Christopher Luscombe’s direction is assured and mischievous, Nathan M Wright’s choreography is sexy and funny and an expert band, led by musical director, Stephen Gray, plays O’Brien’s songs with rock fervour.

Lehpamer takes syrupy-sweet Janet on a rollercoaster ride from pert innocence to depravity, while Mahy as Brad, Janet’s clean-cut, guileless fiancé, falls rapidly under Frank N Furter’s corrupting influence.

Kristian Lavercombe is impish and debauched as Frank’s loyal, alien servant, Riff Raff, and he leads the talented cast in a sassy rendition of the timeless, pelvic-thrusting hit, Time Warp.

Jayde Westaby is Magenta, Frank’s lusty housekeeper, Angelique Cassimatis is his perky groupie, Columbia, while Nicholas Christo is versatile as Eddie and Dr Scott.

Bert Newton plays the Narrator with his idiosyncratic aplomb and Brendan Irving is brawny and brainless as Frank’s toy-boy creation, Rocky.

Although the script is uneven in the second half and some scenes, dialogue and even songs could be edited or even excised, The Rocky Horror Show is just as raucous and rude as it was in the ‘70s and O’Brien would be proud of his mutant creation 40 years on from its inception.

By Kate Herbert