Tasmanians are getting ready to do the time warp again as The Rocky Horror Show nears opening night, with rehearsals, set design, and costume work in full swing.
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The show is the first fully commercial musical to be produced in Tasmania, and with a budget of $1.4 million the John X Presents production team is hoping it will be the start of a new era for the state.
"It's groundbreaking. It's bigger than anything we have ever had before, it's going to run longer than anything before, and it's next level, world-class," producer John X said.
"If this works we won't go back, we will keep doing shows like this."
The production owns exclusive rights to the show in Australia, so no other state will see this version of Rocky Horror.
"We started pre-production in 2019, two years before that we were negotiating to try and get the rights," Mr X said.
"We have got exclusive rights to redesign the set, the costumes, it's like a new production of The Rocky Horror Show."
Though Roz Wren was hired for the costume design, the corsets in the show are complicated and require a lot of work.
Therefore, Mr X sought out the expertise of Launceston-based costume maker Anthony Phillips.
Mr Phillips' work spans across decades and can be seen in some of the most well-known stage shows including - but not limited to - The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Chicago, Wicked, Hello Dolly, Miss Saigon, Sunset Boulevard, The King And I, Mary Poppins, King Kong, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
"Corsetry is something I do a lot of and these are very complicated, but the added factor is you're making it for a man which makes it even more difficult," Mr Phillips said.
"Dr Frank-N-Furter is the main lead and he has a very complicated corset. It's made of many different textures which include leather, stretched mesh, PVC, and Lycra, so blending all those fabrics together is very difficult and complicated.
"All up for that one black corset for Dr Frank-N-Furter would take about three full days of work."
Mr X said it was great to have someone like Mr Phillips on board as the workmanship in the corsets was amazing.
"Anthony lives in Tasmania, how could we not use him. It's a no-brainer," he said.
The Rocky Horror Show will run for five weeks from October 6-31 only at the Theatre Royal in Hobart.
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Dana Anderson
On a Friday night you may see me at the theatre, a festival, an exhibition, or in the corner of one of my favourite establishments reading a novel. So, it makes sense I am the arts and what's on reporter for The Examiner. To contact me about a story please send an email to dana.anderson@examiner.com.au
On a Friday night you may see me at the theatre, a festival, an exhibition, or in the corner of one of my favourite establishments reading a novel. So, it makes sense I am the arts and what's on reporter for The Examiner. To contact me about a story please send an email to dana.anderson@examiner.com.au
