Perhaps the key was left hidden by its creator, Richard O’Brien, in the film’s original script: “Stay sane within the madness.” And that is precisely what ‘The Rocky horror show’ is, an explosion of shameless emotions that invite you to savor every minute as if it were your last and shake any vital apathy you suffer until you are exhausted. To do this you must be aware of what happens among so much eccentricity even though you abandon yourself to the absurd and stop leading yourself, like Virgilio guide to Dantein this particular and extravagant descent into hell.
You will do it wrapped in sequins, without stopping dancing or singing, repeating disconnected phrases like a mantra and being able to transform yourself into another person. And ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ is not just a musical, it is an experience with millions of followers both from its multiple performances in theaters around the world and from the cult film ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ (1975), whose exhibitions, like those held in Barcelona in the mid-90s in crazy sessions, have become initiation sessions of a new rite.
On its only stop in Spain, the musical ‘The Rocky horror show’ arrives in Barcelona to begin its 50th anniversary European tour. It can be seen for two weeks, from October 24 to November 5, at the Teatro Coliseum, before continuing to Paris, Turin, Naples, Rome, Milan and Dublin. He will also travel to Sydney and Melbourne. The play, created by Richard O’Brien, premiered in June 1973 at the Royal Court Theater and has become the longest continuously running contemporary musical.
In Barcelona you can see the same production that has been performed in London for a decade, in the original version in English, and directed by Christopher Luscombe. The director stressed that the musical is an example of “fun and escapism” that is very necessary after the pandemic we have experienced. “It’s a fun play, that’s what Richard O’Brian thought when he wrote it, although he thought it would only last two weeks.” Furthermore, he added that “it is a work more than appropriate for these times and for this city” since 50 years ago it talked about “shocking” topics such as bisexuality or transvestism, with a touch of humor and music.
For his part, the actor Kristian Lavercombe, who plays the role of Riff Raff, holds the world record for participation in this musical and explained that the last night of the performance in Barcelona will complete 2,500 performances. He assured that the musical “is a cult work for the public, who becomes the star of it” and highlighted that he has been entering and leaving the musical for almost 20 years so “it is a work that has changed my life”.