The Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Tour (London)

Review by Penny

⭐⭐⭐

The cult classic comedy horror musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary with a screening tour across the UK. Last night, the tour reached London’s Dominion Theatre and fans clad in delightfully sequined and scandalous garb flocked to join the celebrations.

While the atmosphere and joy felt in the audience was electric, the celebrations themselves fell a little flat. Four of the original movie stars – Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn, Barry Bostwick, and Peter Hinwood – joined the President of the Rocky Horror Picture Show fan club on stage for a pre-screening Q&A which was incredibly short, with some voices taking over more than others and minimal moderation to balance this. The special guests were in great spirits and, a couple of slightly dated jokes about sleeping with directors aside, were a fun addition to the evening – at least, for the all-too-brief time they were there. Nell Campbell did make an appearance as part of the shadow cast in her role as Columbia for the Time Warp which was met by utter delight from the auditorium, and it would have been nice to see other former cast members join the fray throughout the evening.

For first-time Rocky Horror viewers, it didn’t feel like an especially beginner-friendly experience. Granted, these sorts of events are very much aimed at those already in the community, but the introduction could have shared some of the fun repeated call-backs to expect to help encourage any newbies to join in as well as when to look out for the moments to use the designated props!

What made the evening was the fans. A stage filled with shadow cast members performing as their favourite characters was a joyous addition. Audience members coming together to shout ritualised heckles as well as some adlibs (some of which enhanced the hilarity of the night) underpinned the event with a sense of community that was the ultimate highlight.

Perhaps a bit of an anticlimax for such a landmark anniversary, but a fun night out for Rocky Horror veterans!