Ball, Head & Theakston Pay Tribute to Court HorrorDate: 26 April 2006
Two of this year’s Whatsonstage.com Award winners, Michael Ball (Best Takeover in a Role for The Woman in White) and Anthony Head (Best Supporting Actor for Otherwise Engaged), will share the role of Dr Frank-N-Furter, “the sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania”, in a special one-off tribute performance of Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show at the Royal Court next Wednesday 3 May 2006.
Rocky Horror premiered at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in 1973 and later spawned the 1975 cult film (starring Susan Sarandon, Tim Curry and Meatloaf) as well as countless revivals and an ongoing UK touring production. The score includes "Sweet Transvestite," "Damn It Janet" and "Time Warp".
In a recent poll conducted by the Royal Court, Rocky Horror was voted the most enjoyed piece of theatre presented at the theatre over the past five decades. To mark the occasion, as part of the theatre’s year-long 50th anniversary celebrations, the star-studded tribute performance will be staged for one night only in the Theatre Downstairs.
Most of the key roles will, like Frank-N-Furter, be shared. Joining Ball (pictured) and Head on stage will be Stephen Gately and Adrian Edmonson (jointly playing Brad) and Joanne Farrell and Sophie Lawrence (jointly playing Janet) as well as Toyah Wilcox, Noel Campbell, Gary Amers and Patricia Quinn. Guest narrators will include Jamie Theakston, League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton, Tony Slattery, Christopher Biggins and Rocky Horror creator Richard O'Brien, who was inspired to write the musical by his childhood love of schlock sci-fi films.
Tickets for the Rocky Horror tribute performance are priced at £50, £100, £200 and £350, with all proceeds donated to the Royal Court and Amnesty International.
The performance is the second star-studded event for the Royal Court within a week. Tonight (Wednesday 26 April 2006), Vanity and Armani are holding a fundraiser for the theatre tonight at Soho nightclub 81 Brewer Street. Amongst those stars due to attend are: Terry Johnson, Rosamund Pike, Tamzin Outhwaite, Brian Cox, Sinead Cusack, Max Irons, Richard E Grant, Rufus Sewell, Richard Wilson, Juliet Stevenson, Glynis Barber, Lady Helen Taylor, Christian Slater, Alex Kingston, Megan Dodds, David Tennant, Sienna Miller and Siobhan Hewlett as well as Robert Lindsay and Daniel Evans, who will also be performing.
- by Terri Paddock
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