REVIEW: The Rocky Horror Show at Sunderland Empire

Richard O’Briens legendary rock ‘n’ roll musical The Rocky Horror Show visits the Sunderland Empire this week and is running from the 19th to 23rd January. The show was first seen on the London stage in 1973 and its fan base has grown massively since. It includes some iconic tracks including: Time Warp, Sweet Transvestite, Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul and I’m Going Home, to name a few. 

The show follows a newly engaged couple, Brad Majors (James Bisp) and Janet Weiss (Haley Flaherty), on a trip to see an old professor and friend of theirs Dr Everett Scott. When, suddenly they took the wrong turn and ended up with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. Luckily Brad remembers seeing a castle a few miles down the road so he and Janet make their journey down the road to a night they will not forget for a very long time.

When they arrive at the castle they feel an eerie presence, as they are welcomed in at first by Riff Raff (Ryan Carter-Wilson) and soon after, his sister Magenta (Laura Bird) and Columbia (Daisy Steere), where they perform the iconic number Time Warp. Soon after they meet the ‘master’ of the castle, Frank N Furter (Stephen Webb), who makes his grand entrance performing Sweet Transvestite. This is the part of the show where the plot kicks off, as we find that Frank is creating his own ‘creature’, as Brad and Janet watch this creation come to life, Rocky (Morgan Jackson), who Frank is utterly obsessed over and is proud of his creation. The show follows on from there, taking turns along the way, in that time we meet two more characters Eddie and Dr Everett Scott (both played by Edward Bullingham). Performing the great numbers, Rose Tint My World and Wild Untamed Thing. And, finally ending with a beautiful and emotional performance of I’m Going Home. 

Also a big mention to The Narrator who is played by Jackie Clune, the way she narrated the show along with the responses to the brilliant audience participation was amazing. I’ve always enjoyed a show that has audience participation, especially with comedy aspects. In the show there are the generic parts in the show where the whole audience that has seen the show many times will know what to say. But, there have always been added extras, especially last night as there were some one-liners that even Jackie didn’t expect which made the experience funnier. 

Having seen Stephen Webb play Frank N Furter previously in 2022, I already knew that his performance was going to be spectacular, and he delivered exactly to my expectations. The way he embodies Frank’s character is phenomenal, he takes on both the feminine and masculine aspects of the role and gives an incredibly entertaining performance. There is a hint of Tim Curry’s interpretation of the character, but Webb definitely has his own spin on the role. In an interview he described how he took inspiration from Queen and David Bowie and he definitely embodies that vibe. 

James embodied the straight-laced Brad and Haley portrayed the uptight Janet incredibly. I absolutely loved the way they brought this couple to life, the chemistry they had was great and the way they performed their character development was perfect. I didn’t expect anything less from them. Ryan and Laura played Riff Raff and Magenta exactly how I would have expected them to play the roles, the eccentricity was at the perfect level, not too crazy and not too calm.  Although Rocky doesn’t have a lot of lines, his one liners were incredibly entertaining, and Morgan played that role really well, knowing exactly what tone to deliver those lines in. I absolutely loved the way that Daisy played the character of Columbia, with just the right level of craziness and emotion that was  needed. Edward played the roles of both Eddie and Dr Scott really well, even though the roles are minor compared to the other characters they still have a big impact on the story line.

All the production team behind the scenes have done an absolutely amazing job, the director Christopher Luscombe, the choreographer Nathan M Wright and the lighting designer Nick Richings, have all worked really well together to make the show what it was. It was an absolutely stunning performance throughout and I found it really entertaining. It is definitely one my favourite productions that I have seen so far. 

I have loved theatre ever since I was a child and throughout the years my love for the theatre has only grown. Getting to see one of my favourite films, which was based on the original stage performance, live on a stage was just an added bonus. 

If you’re ready for a night of rock ‘n’ roll, be sure to get tickets from ATG tickets, from £15, as The Rocky Horror Show is only at the Sunderland Empire until 23rd January.