The New Rocky Horror Show

at the Apollo 'til Saturday

'Give us an 'R'! Give us an 'O'! Give us a 'C'!'; 'Give us a set' would have perhaps been a more apt cry. Rocky Horror is back in town, 25th anniversary tour, and is as much fun now as it's ever been. More - since this has always been a participation musical and responses just get better - something which obviously startled a few of the Rocky virgins in the audience. You don't normally expect 'slut' to be shouted by 800 people after the name of the heroine is mentioned (and no, it doesn't have anything to do with the actress!), or for half of the crowd to be dressed in black basques and fishnets (and that's just the men..) Anyone who'd turned up on the wrong week and thought there were going to see Glyndebourne would have been in for a bit of shock, but the 'Freaks R Us' element is an essential part of the territory.

For the uninitiated amongst you, Rocky Horror tells the tale of 'two normal, healthy kids' who, following their engagement, set off to meet their old friend Dr Everett Scott (Seig Heil!). On the way, however, a tyre blows and they are forced to throw themselves at the mercy of a strange castle and its even stranger inhabitants.

The exterior of this majestic edifice was portrayed by..a curtain. Just a covering device for the lavish interior, you may think. Yet the grand ballroom, where the infamous Time Warp is performed, was represented by..wait for it...a curtain! The only other props were some scaffolding and a sliding tongue. I know there is a limit to the amount of scenery that is practical for a tour, but this is not the sort of musical where minimalism is appropriate. Anyway, the lack of set didn't prove that distracting since the follow-spot was so erratic that the characters regularly sang in the dark. Noir and kitsch don't make particularly homely companions. These complaints aside, once Brad and Janet had entered 'the Frankenstein place' the action really picked up its pace. The master of the house, the debauched Frank'n'Furter (Darren Day) dominates with a strange amalgamated accent (Tim Curry meets Sean Connery meets James Mason), some delightfully coarse gags and a quick line in responses (Cliff Richard would be well advised to keep his distance!). Ross O'Hennessy has clearly taken more than just seven days to make him (that size of) a man, and so is completely believable as Frank's beefcake baby Rocky. Narrating proceedings, in very fetching blue velvet, is Loyd Grossman who, considering this was his debut performance, carried the bombardment of responses extremely well.

Rocky Horror is a real family musical - by that I do not mean you should take your children - but that there's a real community feel with the audience and company. Both freely talk to each other throughout the show, and it's a much more personal experience than watching, say, Annie. As the songs and atmosphere are so satisfying it doesn't really matter that the production is a bit sloppy - throw caution to the wind, have a couple of pints and go and enjoy yourself!

Pam Green