The Rocky Horror Picture Show at New Wimbledon Theatre Review

By Samuel

Step into your stilettos and brace yourself for a wild, glitter-splashed romp of a night. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has crash landed at New Wimbledon Theatre.

A Theatrical Party Like No other. From the moment the bassline of “Science Fiction/Double Feature” kicks in, the audience becomes part of the show as the auditorium erupts into cheers, shouts, and the inevitable flurry of well-practised call backs. If you’ve never experienced the phenomenon before, know this: Rocky Horror isn’t just a musical, it’s an interactive ritual. And this crowd knew exactly when to yell, cheer, and jump up for “The Time Warp.”

Richard O'Brien's cult classic is still strutting and grinding its way across stages with electric energy and this tour production delivers a decadent night of theatre that’s anything but conventional.

What makes this revival especially successful is its refusal to sanitise the eccentricity that makes Rocky so beloved. Director Christopher Luscombe keeps the pace brisk and the tone deliciously irreverent, without letting it veer into pantomime. The balance of scripted madness and spontaneous audience interplay is masterfully held. 

Jason Donovan’s Frank-N-Furter is the undisputed centre of gravity here. Slithering across the stage in stilettos and fishnets, he’s seductive, menacing, and just the right amount of absurd. Donovan commands every moment with a rock star’s bravado and a drag queen’s wit, milking every line with a wink to the audience and delivering “Sweet Transvestite” with vocal power and lashings of flair.

Brad and Janet, played with delightful innocence by on stage swings Stacey Monahan and Alex Hetherington. Together they are perfectly awkward as the madness foils around them. Their descent from suburban prudishness into liberated mayhem is fun to watch, and Monohan in particular shines in “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me,” bringing just the right mix of comic timing and vocal strength. Job Greuter as Riff Raff, a Rocky Horror veteran at this point brings a wonderfully grotesque physicality to the role, his skeletal movements and knowing glances underscoring the show’s twisted underbelly. Magenta Natasha Hoeberigs and Columbia Jayme-Lee Zanoncelli are energetic standouts, their eccentricities never feeling forced. Morgan Jackson turned heads as Rocky, in just leopard print briefs, he set temperatures racing with an incredible body, singing voice and bundles of energy. He made audience members, me myself included question their choices as they tucked in to theatre treats. And shoutout to Nathan Caton as the Narrator, who handles the audience’s interruptions with brilliant comic timing and a deadpan delivery that keeps the pace humming.

There are moments where the show’s chaotic rhythm threatens to spin out, and a few scene transitions feel rushed. But any minor flaws are swallowed by the sheer spectacle and joy of the experience. What The Rocky Horror Show lacks in narrative, it more than makes up for in personality and this production delivers that in glitter-soaked buckets.

Act I is upbeat but short, meaning too much was being crammed in to act II, which was already ballad heavy, slowing down the momentum and pace of the evening, but over all it was good fun. Whether you're a seasoned devotee or a Rocky virgin, this production offers a wickedly fun night out. It’s brash, bold, and unapologetically queer. And in a world that often feels too tightly wound, it’s a delicious relief to be told, loudly and proudly not to dream it, but to be it. To sum it up, it’s a glorious, gender-bending celebration of chaos, camp, and sexual liberation, coming to theatres up and down the country, so book your tickets now!