Lily, Camera, Action! : The Rocky Horror Picture Show (In Theatre)

Wow. Just wow! Last night myself and three friends went to Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre to see possibly my favourite musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

If any of you haven't seen the original film and are wondering what I'm talking about then seriously go find it and watch it, now! You'll thank me later. At first it does seem rather strange but as you watch it more and more you understand it a lot better and can enjoy it more, as well as pick up song lyrics that end up getting stuck in your head.

Now I already love the film but actually seeing it all happen in person was just something else. Sat just a few feet away from the cast on stage was brilliant. I didn't have to worry about being stuck sitting behind someone taller than me with their head right in front of my face like I usually do. Instead I could see everything perfectly, all the sequins and glitter that add sparkle to the show. The set design, costumes, actors, actresses, band, music, singing and dancing were all simply fantastic. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed so you'll just have to take my word for it that the show was spectacular!

During the Time Warp the whole audience joined in with the cast to perform the well known dance as a huge group and this happened twice! So much fun.

Something that just has to happen when you go to a show like this is dressing up, so naturally we did. Three of us dressed as the Transylvanian's that appear throughout different scenes in the show and one was dressed as Columbia (Ceris Hine), the squeaky high pitched female character in gold sequins and multi coloured clothing. Many of the audience members also threw out their glad rags and instead replaced them with characters costumes, some more 'out there' than others but all looking great.

There's not one single bad thing that could ever be said about this show, every minute was so amazing and even better when the audience love it as much as you do. The amount of people that had arrived dressed as the different characters was really great, shows that they love it enough to dress up just to sit in a crowd and watch it.

It's definitely not everyday that you watch a group of people dance around on stage in pretty much just underwear and stockings, but this cast pulled it off well and made it work. The changes of scene and scenery were done perfectly and went so smoothly that helped with the way the show was overall.

I really loved all the acting by each cast member but there are some I feel I should mention in this post.

Growing up watching Dani Harmer play Tracy in Tracy Beaker then to see her perform as Janet Weiss in The Rocky Horror Picture Show was definitely a weird change from what I was used to as a child.

I was also surprised by how well the lead male actor Oliver Thornton played Frank n Furter, what a voice that guy has, I was simply stunned and loved singing along to Sweet Transvestite while he was performing it on stage.

Rocky, Rocky, Rocky (Henry Davis) what a great representation of the character from the film, young and vulnerable, but brave and strong too, slightly distracting being covered in glitter though but very well played.

Riff Raff (Kristian Lavercombe) and Magenta (Jayde Westaby), well what a pair they are, they worked so well together as brother and sister, and really steal the show at the end.

One person I also feel I should mention is the narrator Philip Franks. Just by coming on stage between tell the story he really added to the experience of seeing the show, and had an answer for anything the crowd shouted at him (whether those people were placed in the audience or not) it definitely made everyone have a good laugh together.

Personally I would really recommend this to anyone as it was such an enjoyable experience and I would definitely go to see it again and again if I had the chance to. I think its one of those shows that if you have the opportunity to see it then take it and don't miss out because you'd regret it. There's not a single fault I can think of, just an absolutely amazing show and I didn't want to leave when it was over.

That will be a night I won't be forgetting!

Until next time, thanks for reading!