The Rocky Horror Show first began life in 1973 before an audience of just 63 people in the Royal Court’s Theatre Upstairs. Now, 50 years on, the legendary smash hit musical has been seen by 30 million people in the longest continuous run of a contemporary musical anywhere in the world.
As the show prepares to open at Manchester’s Opera House as part of a newly extended UK tour, actor Kristian Lavercombe is getting ready to once again step into the shoes and wig cap of Riff Raff - a role he’s played more than 2,000 times.
“The role has become such a big part of my life and I absolutely adore it,” said Kristian, “when I look in the mirror, I see Riff Raff as my own face now.”
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Kristian has been playing the role of Riff Raff for 13 years now, and completed his 2,000th performance as the demonic butler in March 2022. However, he never intended to play the role when he auditioned for it in New Zealand in 2010.
He explained: “I had been in a few smaller productions of The Rocky Horror show as Frank n Furter and Brad Majors, so I attended the audition at quite short notice.
“I didn’t think I was suited to Riff Raff so I almost said I can see myself playing anything but him, but I stopped myself at the last moment and it’s the one and only role they asked me for - surprisingly to me, but perhaps not to the director. It was a risk but I understood the character and the show.”
The Rocky Horror Show is the story of two squeaky clean college kids – Brad and his fiancée Janet. When by a twist of fate, their car breaks down outside a creepy mansion whilst on their way to visit their former college professor, they meet the charismatic Dr Frank’n’Furter and undertake and adventure they’ll never forget, ‘filled with fun, frolics, frocks, and frivolity’.
Kristian added: “It’s a parody of all the b-films and sci-fi movies from the 70s and it’s just so over the top, kitsch, weird and wonderful and I love that about it.
“Rocky Horror has been a big theme in my life. I used to watch it as a teenager with my friends and never imagined I’d be part of it.”
The actor may have gotten his costume run down to a fine art, and can transform from clean-cut Kristian to bedraggled Riff Raff in around 30 minutes, joking ‘some people take longer than that just to get ready to go to the shops.‘
However, he admitted that he still gets nervous, despite the fact he could recite the whole script backwards in his sleep.
Kristian out of his Riff Raff costume.
He said: “I still get a little bit nervous and I think that shows that I care about it deeply and I still want the show to be the best that it possibly can be.
“Even though I’ve done the show thousands of times, there’s still a chance you can still forget a line. That makes me a little nervous, the thought of forgetting my lines with thousands of people staring at you.”
But Kristian need not worry about forgetting the lines, since members of the audience at The Rocky Horror Show are immensely dedicated, and know the script inside and out. “I’m sure if I ever did forget a line, they’d help me out,” he laughed.
Approaching 2,500 shows with a run time of two hours, Kristian has spent approximately six months solid - 24/7 on stage as Riff Raff over the last decade or so. But he said it doesn’t feel like that long, adding: “The show changes up each time with different casts, different cities and the audiences are so wild that they keep you more than entertained.”
The role hasn’t been without its challenges, though, for example when he first performed as Riff Raff to a South Korean audience who ‘likely didn’t speak English or very much of it’ - so the show was subtitled.
“It was a very bizarre experience but I had a blast, and it was so much fun,” he said. “I originally thought I’d play Riff Raff for a few months, because his vocals are so challenging. I have to do a high pitched belt which is hard when you’re doing eight shows a week, but luckily it’s just kept coming out. But I do try to look after my vocals as much as possible.”
His career highlight came when Kristian got the opportunity to perform alongside the show's writer Richard O’Brien when he played the narrator in the production.
The pair performed the Time Warp together during the curtain call, which Kristian described as a ‘once in a lifetime experience that kept on happening’.
He added: “When I did my 2,000th performance that was really special as well as it was a real milestone for me. It’s a journey in every form, you go through highs and lows and amazing experiences so that was a great day for me too.”
The Rocky Horror Show stalwart is very much looking forward to the production's week-long run at Manchester’s Opera House, which opens tonight. It’s a particularly special run, celebrating the show's 50th anniversary.
Kristian said: “I think Manchester is a spiritual home of Rocky Horror, the audiences really know how to have a good time.
“Rocky Horror means something different to everyone. It was the coming of age movie for many people where they could be whoever they wanted to me, they could be wild and be celebrated and when I speak to people at stage door that seems to be the recurring theme.
“The show is still going strong and there must be a reason for that. It’s such a huge part of pop culture and if you haven't seen it you’re part of a minority and you need to fix that, come along and see why it’s going so strong and why it means so much to so many people.”
Kristian never thought he would dance the Time Warp as Riff Raff as many times as he has done, but certainly won’t be stopping any time soon.
“Rocky Horror feels like home to me,” he said. “It keeps coming back and I'm more than happy for it to keep coming back because I love it.
“It’s out of my hands as an actor, you’re not the one who decides if you carry on with the show and you have to rely on being asked back. Lucky for me I do keep getting asked back.
“It’s been a huge learning curve doing the show so many times as you have to keep it fresh and original. It would be sad to draw a line under it and say I'd never do it again. I’d like to do it a lot more.”
The Rocky Horror Show is a guaranteed party, which famously combines science-fiction, horror, comedy and music while encouraging audience participation - meaning, of course, getting dressed-up in the most outrageous fancy dress. So if you are planning a trip to The Opera House this week, don’t forget your feather boas!
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