Australian actor Jason Donovan, who made his West End debut in the title role of the 1991 revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, will open the new U.K. venue Fareham Live this fall.
Donovan will play Frank 'N' Furter in a limited run of Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show October 1-5. The actor played the same role in a 2023 production of the cult classic in Australia. Additional casting and creative team members for the upcoming production will be announced at a later date.
Trafalgar Theatres was awarded the contract to operate Fareham Live by Fareham Borough Council in June 2023. Currently under construction, the new venue features a main auditorium with seating for 800. A secondary performance space, new bar and cafe area, and studio space supporting community groups and organizations will also form part of the new building.
Also on the bill for the opening season: the pantomime Cinderella, starring AJ and Curtis Pritchard (December 13, 2024-January 5, 2025), plus shows from Jimmy Carr, Jane McDonald, Anton du Beke, Adam Kay, and Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
Donovan said in a statement, “I cannot wait to be on stage and to open Fareham Live with the legendary Rocky Horror Show. From the very first performance in London, Richard O’Brien created a show from the wilds of his imagination with incredible music that has now stood the test of time, and an awesome energy that befits its accolades and endurance. Quite simply, it’s a rock-n-roll show appealing to the cheeky side of us all!”
Helen Enright, CEO of Trafalgar Theatres, added, “We
are delighted to be working in partnership with Fareham Borough Council
to launch Fareham Live. Rocky is the perfect party to kick-off our
opening season and the wider program offers something for everyone—which, of course, is what Fareham Live is all about."
Written and created by O’Brien, The Rocky Horror Show bowed in London in 1973. It played Broadway's Belasco Theatre March 10-April 5, 1975, with a cast led by Tim Curry, Jamie Donnelly, and Meat Loaf. The 1975 film also cast Curry as Frank-N-Furter opposite Susan Sarandon's Janet Weiss and Barry Bostwick's Brad Majors. The Tony-nominated 2000 revival at New York's Circle in the Square Theatre boasted a cast that included Dick Cavett, Lea DeLaria, Jarrod Emick, Tom Hewitt, Joan Jett, Alice Ripley, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Raúl Esparza, Sebastian LaCause, and Kevin Cahoon.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again, a remake of the cult classic, was broadcast on Fox in October 2020 featuring Laverne Cox as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Tim Curry as Criminologist Narrator, Victoria Justice as Janet Weiss, Ryan McCartan as Brad Majors, Reeve Carney as Riff Raff, Christina Milian as Magenta, Annaleigh Ashford as Columbia, Adam Lambert as Eddie, Staz Nair as Rocky Horror, Ben Vereen as Dr. Everett Scott, and Ivy Levan as Usherette.
The musical tells the story of Brad and his fiancée Janet, two squeaky clean college kids who meet Dr. Frank ’N’ Furter, an extra-terrestrial mad scientist from the galaxy of Transylvania where people really like to party.
Visit FarehamLive.com.
