The Rocky Horror Show
Congress Theatre, Eastbourne
Tuesday 19th to Saturday 23rd May, 2026
Review by Tony Flood
Richard O’Brien’s legendary rock ‘n’ roll musical The Rocky Horror Show still has the ‘wow’ factor after 53 years.
Its cult followers clapped long and loud when it came to the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne, on Tuesday as part of a new world tour.
It has now been seen by over 35 million theatregoers – and they still love it.
Australian superstar Jason Donovan, who played transvestite Dr Frank-n-Furter in the 25th anniversary production, has returned to appear at Eastbourne and other selected venues, sharing the lead role with Stephen Webb.
Donovan is a perfect fit for the pansexual, manipulative, mad scientist who is creating the ‘perfect man’ (Rocky).
Set in the 1950s, The Rocky Horror Show tells how two squeaky clean all-American college students, Brad and his fiancée Janet, experience a nightmare.
When their car suffers a burst type on a stormy night, they seek refuge in a creepy castle, where they are seduced by Frank-n-Furter, with the help of his weird pals.
James Bisp and the delightful Haley Flaherty were superb as the innocent couple, fully capturing their naïve and stereotypical mannerisms.
The show’s narrator, Nathan Caton, interacted brilliantly with the audience, exchanging some hilarious, often very naughty, one-liners.
Ryan Carter-Wilson added greatly to the suspense – and merriment – as Riff Raff, a parody of Frankenstein’s servant.
Other outstanding performances by Laura Bird, Edward Bullingham, Morgan Jackson and Daisy Steere ensured that the show was as engaging as when first performed at the Royal Court’s 63-seat Theatre Upstairs in London on June 19, 1973.
Back then, the production starred Tim Curry as Frank-n-Furter, and Richard O’Brien played Riff Raff in addition to writing the book, music and lyrics.
This faithful rendition of the iconic show saw the audience still get fully involved on the first night at Eastbourne. Many, dressed in stockings and suspenders, provided witty responses to well-known lines in the script. And they jumped to their feet to belt out the pelvic-thrusting Time Warp.
But it was fortunate that the words of many numbers, including Sweet Transvestite and Damn It Janet, are well known because some of the vocals were hard to hear above the heavy musical accompaniment.
Not all the routines appealed to me, but the show, under the direction of Christopher Luscombe, provided an entertaining evening full of nostalgia.
