Arts

Fishnets, Feathers and Frank’N’Furter: A Rocky Horror Experience By Louise Collins

On Bonfire Night, I went to see The Rocky Horror Show for the first time in my life, and let me tell you, it was a firecracker of a show.

Going to see Rocky Horror is basically a rite of passage for any theatre geek, particularly the queer ones, and I can’t believe it has taken me 21 years before seeing it. As is tradition with Rocky Horror, I dressed up, donning my fishnets and feather boa, and I joined the line of Frank’N’Furters, Rockys, Magentas and

Columbias. It was rare to see anyone in regular clothes, and you couldn’t move for big hair, stockings or feathers.

As I took my seat, I was already grinning from ear to ear, taking in the pure joy radiating from the audience. As a theatre nerd, I roughly knew what type of night I was in for. As a Rocky virgin – both film and production – I couldn’t have predicted any of it.

Within ten minutes of the show starting, I was in stitches. For anyone unaware of the Rocky Horror proceedings, the tale is broken up by a narrator who comes out to make passing comments on the show and the wacky characters. His role depends on audience participation and quick wit, and he did not disappoint.

Throughout the evening, Phillip Franks, who took on the role, reacted perfectly to the audience’s heckling, having my friends and I in stitches. It stays topical, poking fun at the government, whilst never being too serious, and the satirical lines landed every single time. It isn’t a show for the faint hearted - and not in the racism disguised as dark-humour way. It’s chock full of sex; sexy characters, sexy costumes, sexy dance moves, and sex itself. With most of the cast – and audience – in fishnets and stockings, it’s rare to see someone fully covered, and that’s one of the magical factors of this show. Everyone can be themselves in all their camp glory. Right from the beginning, the audience were in full participation mode, calling back to the characters, jeering at the appropriate places, and even singing along. We were swaying as one to Science Fiction – Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Double Feature, singing our hearts out to Damn It, Janet, putting our torches on for Over at the Frankenstein Place, and being a community within every song. My favourite moment was during Time Warp, when every member of the audience stood up and danced. I’ve been to the theatre a ton of times, but this was hands down my favourite audience experience. It didn’t matter how old they were, their sexuality, or gender identity; everyone was defying norms and coming together as one.

I always knew it was a cult classic, and I knew I was going to love it, but I truly never anticipated to enjoy it quite that much. I knew some of the basics of the show, but each turn had me on the edge of my seat and fully absorbed in the proceedings. Everything was acted stupendously; Brad and Janet’s fear, Magenta’s sex-crazed state, Rocky’s utter innocence, and Frank’N’Furter’s absolute godliness. There is no show like this, and I can understand why it’s been so popular for so many years. Here’s hoping The Rocky Horror Show stays running for as long as can be.

As the campest show I’ve ever seen – and I’ve seen a lot – I can’t recommend this production enough. It’s a show full of innuendos, sweet transvestites, and science fiction. I have never had such a queer experience, and Hot Pattootie, I loved every single second of it.

Arts 25 The best Norwich art galleries to visit this winter

By Elizabeth Woor

Norwich has an abundant array of galleries for you to explore this winter. Whether you’re an old master’s enthusiast or more of a modern art lover, there’s something for everyone. Not sure where to start? Below are just a few recommendations to keep you busy on your days off over the next few months.

Of course, we have to start with the Sainsbury Centre. Situated right on campus, there’s no excuse to not visit this world-class centre of art. Officially opened in 1978, the museum was commissioned to house the donated collections of Robert and Lisa Sainsbury. Along with their permanent display, which features the likes of Henry Moore and Amedeo Modigliani, the gallery is currently hosting temporary exhibitions exploring Grayson Perry, Leiko Ikemura and Constructivism in Britain since 1951. All of which are not to be missed.

The newest addition to the Norwich gallery family is Moosey. Having only opened up its doors last month, it’s a great spot for those who perhaps feel they’ve exhausted the local art scene. The gallery regularly changes their exhibition space to feature artwork by emerging talent from across the globe. So, expect some exciting names in the near future! For those who are looking for a slightly different Christmas present idea, they also sell

eye-catching, original prints that you can get your hands on.

Another personal favourite is The East Gallery, which is run by Norwich University of the Arts. Hosting internationally renowned artists and curators, the space is a perfect spot to visit if you’re in the city centre. Their newest exhibition, titled ‘Hospital Rooms’, begins on the 16th November and looks at how neutral hospital spaces can be transformed into artistic spaces. It’s certainly an ambitious project that focuses on something more unusual.

If you’re looking for art that comes from further afield, then a hidden gem situated in the heart of the city is The South Asia Collection Museum. The site holds a unique collection covering the arts, crafts and cultures of South Asia and the surrounding area. As its free to visit, why not explore the rich material on offer at this museum?

There are so many more that should be mentioned: Outpost Gallery, Norwich Cathedral, Anteros Arts Foundation, Crypt Gallery at Norwich School, The Assembly House, and of course, Norwich Castle and Art Gallery. The Norwich artistic scene is growing and evolving all the time, so now is a perfect time to get involved and see what’s on offer. You never know, you might stumble across something incredible.

“You never know, you might stumble across something incredible.”

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

6 arts How theatre is helping create conversation about mental health: An interview with play write Mark Daniels After being met with such incredible audience reactions and reviews, playwright Mark Daniels’ show Coronavirus – A Great British Farce, based on his own diaries from lockdown, is coming to The Garage in Norwich on the 18th November.

Could you start off by telling me about the play itself?

So, it’s a comedy, it’s surreal, absurd, theatre. It’s weird. It’s about a guy called Joe who is on his own in a flat in lockdown, and in the first scene there’s another character on the stage who is called Speaker. You assume she’s a politician as she’s on a podium at one of those press conferences, and Joe begins to answer back to her, and she starts to answer back to him. You’re not too sure at the start but it descends into this surreal conversation, it goes into complete gibberish, for the audience its really funny but for him it’s quite stressful. It is satirizing the media we have today.

The relationships between mental health, creativity, and lockdown affected everyone differently but was there any particular moment or event that sparked your ideas?

I really struggled at the start. I had work to keep me going, but for true creative work that I love doing, I had a real blockage. What kept me going was the rest of the creative industry, some people were finding ways to make things online and putting out briefs for competitions. That’s where this play started. This theatre company wanted ten-minute plays written in lockdown, so I went and opened my diaries and started from there. It was other people in the creative industries supporting each other that got me through.

Despite the comedic tone, there are obviously some difficult themes explored. Would you say that this play does seek to engage people in questions around mental health and being mindful of how things can affect us?

Definitely. People really did take both sides of it. There’s a clearer message in the darker bits that this guy is struggling, because he’s on his own. He gets more addicted to the media, the information, the paranoia, because he doesn’t have any other distractions. There’s a clear theme of loneliness and how that can impact somebody, which I think a lot of people have a much bigger appreciation for. We’ve partnered with a charity called Campaign to End Loneliness. At the end of the show, we have a speech to make that link clearer to the mental health issue, and use the play to do something bigger than to just entertain people. by Sophie Colley

The Arts have always played an important part in asking questions about mental health, but post-lockdown how do you think this dynamic has changed?

I think it has made it even more important. Not overlooking the way things can impact mental health is something the Arts can really help with. Watching a play, listening to a piece of music, all of these things are really nice ways to enjoy something. Because it’s an enjoyable experience you can then subtly bring up a deeper message without people feeling like they’re being lectured about it, people are much more open. It’s a really nice way to open up these conversations.

Finally, are there any messages that you would like people to take from the play?

I think it’s that we’ve all been through this surreal experience and it’s worth acknowledging it and not pretending it didn’t happen, and a great way to do that is through laughter. It can be very cathartic to laugh at these situations and then that can open up some really interesting conversations with the people around you.