THERE wasn’t a dry seat in the house!

And you can take that any way you want to! This was a virgin night out (night in!) for the world famous Rocky Horror Show as a first performance at Windsor’s Theatre Royal came up with an electrifying evening of snap, crackle and pop, pop, pop.

This was the first time the ‘Royal has hosted Richard O’Brien’s famous rock ‘n roll musical, but with the lavishly transvestite devotee audience turning out in their fishnet stockings, suspenders, basques and gothic make-up will testify, the cast of this production have really turned up the heat.

This is raucous, rollicking, rocking, good entertainment.

O’Brien penned his now world famous musical for the stage back in 1973. It was transferred to screen at the Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975 starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon and has wowed audiences around the world ever since.

The show bases itself on a plethora of B Movie cult favourite themes: vampires, nerds, love lorn university geeks, maniacal monsters, witless professors and aliens. But O’Brien’s genius was to throw them all into the melting point along with a transvestite theme and come up with some belting rock classics.

Get the audience to participate by adding in one liners as the show goes along and you have the stuff of classic entertainment.

So, to the story then. Brad and Janet get engaged and head off to meet their friend professor Scott. But it’s a wild, stormy night, their car breaks down and they walk to a nearby castle where they meet the likes of butler-cum-valet, Riff Raff and the evil Dr Frank N Furter (played by Curry in the ’75 movie).

Sexual gender lines are blurred in this hedonistic, no holds barred, anything goes, cross-dressing odyssey where Furter in his trade mark, stocking, basque and make-up plies his very wicked ways with both Janet and Brad before his own house of horrors turn on him.

Furter is played deliciously by Frank Bedella who could easily steal the show. Allowing Bedella to retain his American manner sets him apart form Curry’s celluloid creation.

Bedella has a great voice and is stunning in drag as the Transylvanian transsexual. His opening song, Sweet Transvestite, is a blast as Brad and Janet are invited into his laboratory to witness his creation of a muscle man for his own pleasures.

But of course the sell-out audience both in the first half and for encore were on their feet for the show’s biggest number, Time Warp.

Making Tim Brooke-Taylor the narrator was a touch of genius. His rapport with audience was a delight.

Brian McCann is a rip-roaring Riff-Raff.

Haley Flaherty and Mark Evans are a cracking Brad and Janet. Superb voices and great movement.

Nathan Amzi is wonderfully versatile as Furter’s first dismal Frankenstein-style monster, Eddie and also as the hapless professor Scott.

Dominic Tribuzio is dynamic as the muscle bound all singing, all dancing love interest, Rocky, which Furter also brings to life.

Ceris Hine is the tops in tapping her way through being the loveable, livewire Columbia.

And Kara Lane is a magnificent Magenta, Riff-Raff’s sister.

The musical is based on the late night double feature 50’s B movies. And Lane also plays the usherette who sings to the audience at the start and end of the show with a wonderful rendition of Science Fiction/Double Feature.

In fact the success of this production from director Christopher Luscombe is all about the strength of talent on show. Strong voices and dancing are here in abundant quality.

Janet Bird’s set is stunning, the lighting and sound supervision sensational and the band just blindingly brilliant.

The whole joint was rocking, the show stunning and the laughter loud. As I said, there wasn’t a dry seat in the house. What did you think I meant?

This is a saucy, sexy, sensational, seductive and so, so over the top tease of a tip top theatre experience.

Don’t be a drag, put your hands on your hips and grab a seat now or be left in a time warp.

The Rocky Horror Show runs at the Theatre Royal, Windsor until Saturday, November 21. Box Office 01753 853888.