Get ready to do the Time Warp, folks.
Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show starring Jason Donovan as Frank N Furter is coming to Newcastle's Civic Theatre in January.
The new Australian production of the famously outrageous rock'n-roll musical kicks off in Newcastle on January 12, running until February 4, and will celebrate encore seasons at Melbourne's Atheneum Theatre from February 9 and Theatre Royal Sydney from March 31.
But Newcastle gets the first bite.
When the Newcastle Herald spoke to Donovan - who is currently performing in Grease The Musical in London's West End - he said he was "pumped" to be visiting the city.
"It's not unusual to want to take a show to as many people as one can, but I hear Newcastle is an up and coming part of NSW, and people have spoken very highly of it, so it was a no-brainer for me," Donovan said.
"And I'm a coastal being, I love swimming and I love the water, so I'm really looking forward to checking out your beaches. Sometimes I really do wonder why I live in the part of the world that I do."
You can read all about Donovan and what he's been up to in Saturday's Weekender when he talks about Neighbours, his equally famous father, why he moved to the UK in 1990, and much more.
Joining Donovan on the 2024 tour is Stellar Perry (Magenta/The Usherette), Deirdre Khoo (Janet), Henry Rollo (Riff Raff), Darcey Eagle (Columbia), Blake Bowden (Brad) and Ellis Dolan (Eddie/Dr Scott). The Phantoms will be Josh Gates, Hollie James and Erica Wild, with Keane Fletcher and Seryan Burke-Low rounding out the cast as the Swings. Myf Warhurst will be the Narrator.
Written and created by Richard O'Brien, The Rocky Horror Show first opened in London in 1973 at the Royal Court's Theatre Upstairs. Since then it has been continuously on stage somewhere in the world and has paved its way into history as one of the classics of musical theatre.
"Back in the 1970s when someone asked me to entertain the Christmas staff party at the EMI Film Studios and I turned up with a song called Science Fiction Double Feature, who would have known this was the germ of the idea to turn into today what is The Rocky Horror Show?," O'Brien said.
"To be celebrating 50 years is beyond my wildest expectations."
In 1975 The Rocky Horror Show was transformed into a film called The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This film adaptation took more than $135 million at the Box Office and is still shown in cinemas around the world, making it the longest running theatrical release in cinema history.
As for the latest Frank N Furter, Jason Donovan became a household name in Australia and the UK in 1986 when he first appeared on Neighbours starring opposite Kylie Minogue. His debut album was a platinum-selling record in Australia and the highest-selling album in the UK in 1989. Since then he has sold more than 13 million albums worldwide.
Donovan made his musical theatre debut in the lead role of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on the West End in 1991 which also earned him an Olivier Award nomination. He has gone on to star in other musical theatre productions including Priscilla Queen of The Desert, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Annie Get Your Gun and The Sound of Music as well the Australian production of Chicago in Melbourne in 2019.
