I went to see Rocky Horror Show for the first time and it was a revelation

The first characters I saw from the show were when I passed The Fire Station and looked through the windows of The Dun Cow.

There were plenty at the bar dressed in a mixture of sparkly top hats and stockings and suspenders.

I’d never seen The Rocky Horror Show before, but had heard plenty about fans’ eagerness to dress up. Once inside The Empire I was relieved to discover there were plenty of folk dressed ‘normally’ like me, but those in full show regalia were certainly not rare.

I had sort of anticipated that but I wasn’t prepared for the fact that not only did so many of the audience join in – but they were encouraged to do so.

Normally actors hate hecklers. Not here.

In particular, the totally assured narrator - Jackie Clune – often stopped to get people to repeat their shouted comments. She had many brilliant retorts and had the audience in the palm of her hand.

The comic timing of Clune and indeed the entire cast was superb.

On stage at times cast members had each other literally in the palm of their hands in this science fiction fantasy of the sexual revolution.

Don’t panic – there is no nudity and a tiny amount of swearing but it is distinctly naughty at times, not least from the audience comments.

For most of this show I felt I was somewhere between a pantomime and a ghost train.

For what it’s worth in the thinnest of plots, the story revolves around squeaky clean fiance’s Janet (the exquisite Haley Flaherty) and Brad (the excellent James Bisp).

Their vehicle breaks down near a creepy mansion which they enter hoping to find help.

They never access the phone they hope for but they do discover a world of sex, craziness and at times the threat of something sinister.

Central to all this is lead character Frank N Furter, dynamically played by Stephen Webb and supported by an ensemble cast where there isn’t a weak link.

Any great musical needs a show-stopper number and here it is ‘Time -Warp’ which was well and truly milked with the audience on their feet singing and dancing along as boundaries dissolved between the audience and the stage.

It’s over half a century since the film of The Rocky Horror Show was released. Stage productions of Richard O’Brien’s creation have been seen by over 35 million people in 30 counties and 20 languages.

If you’ve yet to see it then in the best traditions of Monty Python’s ‘And Now For Something Completely Different’ get yourself to the Empire by Saturday.

Live theatre is alive and truly kicking in Sunderland this week.

The Rocky Horror Show will thrill Sunderland Empire audiences until Saturday 24 January 2026.