Jason Donovan on his return to The Rocky Horror Show ...
Jason Donovan is making a much-anticipated return to one of his most famous roles: playing Frank-N-Furter in Richard O’Brien’s anarchic musical, The Rocky Horror Show when it visits Newcastle Theatre Royal this week.
When asked about taking on the iconic role he says, “In a nutshell, I’m a fan. I love the show; I love the music; I love the character. I was touring my own show about five years ago and included ‘Sweet Transvestite’ from Rocky as a key moment in my musical career. It went down a storm.”
The Rocky Horror Show tells the story of a newly engaged, clean-cut couple getting caught in a storm and coming to the home of a mad transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter, who unveils his new creation, Rocky, a Frankenstein-style monster in the form of an artificially made, fully-grown, physically perfect muscle man complete with blond hair and a tan.
The show ran for a total of 2,960 performances in London after it opened in 1973 and since then has been performed in 20 different languages and seen by 30 million people globally.
Jason first took on the role of Frank-n-Furter in 1998; he's the same performer now but how does Jason feel about tackling the role over 25 years later? “I don’t feel uncomfortable, playing Frank at 56 – and, of course, I have personal reasons for being grateful to the show.”
The stage manager on that late 90s touring production was a young woman called Angela Malloch. “I’d be backstage waiting to go on,” recalls Jason, “and I’d get chatting to Ange.” The blossoming friendship turned into romance and the couple finally married in 2008. They now have three children: Jemma is 24 and an actress; 23-year-old Zac is a TV producer in Australia and Molly, 13, is still at school.
In the meantime, their father has graduated from small-screen fame as Scott in the long-running Australian soap, Neighbours, to chart-topping pop stardom and now, among much else, as a stalwart of theatre in a diverse number of productions.
During his varied theatre career, Jason has starred in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts, drag artist Mitzi in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Joseph in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He most recently visited Newcastle Theatre Royal as Pharaoh on tour with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2022.
But it is Dr Frank-N-Furter who occupies a special place in his heart. “One of the reasons I love Rocky is because it’s a short show.” And nor is he joking. “It says everything it needs to say and nothing more. There’s no unnecessary padding. It means nobody gets bored and you leave them wanting more.”
What’s it like climbing into those fishnet stockings and high heels seven times a week? “In many ways, very easy, I put on the costume and there’s Frank all over again. I’m in touch with my feminine side but I come from a masculine sensibility. The character embraces both sides of me: a strength and a vulnerability as well as danger and denial.
“I come to the role as an actor. I always dreamed of fronting a rock band and this is about as close as I’ve got. When I put on those high heels, I become that rock ‘n’ roll star. It makes me feel powerful, tall, in charge.
“And audiences love it. As I look out from the stage, I see a beautiful landscape of people wearing outrageous costumes. It’s not hard to see why: in many ways, Rocky is panto for adults. The costumes are just as much a part of the show as the characters and the music.”
Photo: Daniel Boud
Tickets:
The Rocky Horror Show plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Monday 27 January – Saturday 1 February 2025. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.
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