'The Rocky Horror Show' lands in Barcelona with 80s icon Jason Donovan

BarcelonaThe Rocky Horror Show It's a musical that you don't just see; it's a musical you experience. Since its premiere in London in 1973—and also following the 1975 film adaptation starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon—it has become a refuge for all those who feel different. Audiences attend performances dress up and actively participate by calling out lines and retorts to the actors. The legendary musical premieres this Thursday at the Coliseum Theatre in Barcelona—it was already performed in 2023—with a cast made up of West End actors and actresses and now with Australian Jason Donovan as the lead. The 1980s icon, known for having played Scott Robinson in the series Neighbors, plays Frank-n-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist from Transexual, a planet in the Transylvania galaxy. The play will run until November 2nd, with a special performance on Halloween night.

Jason Donovan is known for his television work and as a pop singer, but he's had a foot in the musical theater for a while. In fact, this isn't the first time the Australian has played the lead character in The Rocky Horror Show: He already did it in 1998 and in that production he met his wife, Angela Malloch, with whom he has three children. "I came to this musical as an actor and I love its pace and conciseness. It's crazy. I think it's the juxtaposition of the different facets that audiences know me for: it ticks all the boxes. And there aren't many shows I can do multiple times a week and still enjoy," explains Donovan. The Rocky Horror Show An innocent college couple, Brad and his fiancée Janet, have a car breakdown and end up spending the night in a gloomy mansion run by Dr. Frank-n-Furter, who will make them connect with their deepest desires.

Although Donovan's history with The Rocky Horror Show It is long, the actor admits that he does not have a first memory of when they discovered the musical, which he describes as a "timeless classic" and full of hits, such as Sweet transvestite and The time wrap"It's a musical about being different and living your dream. It's about vulnerability and what it means to feel out of place. It's a story that's 50 years old but will survive for decades and decades," summarizes the former teen idol. Regarding what musical theater has meant to his career, Donovan is clear: "A lot of hard work." "There's a lot of joy in repetition, as long as you enjoy what you're doing. That's why The Rocky Horror Show It's so good for me: because I like it a lot. I've done a lot of shows and it's hard," he adds.

A show to let loose

One of the distinguishing features of this musical is the audience interaction, practically an additional character. In this sense, actors Haley Flaherty and James Bisp, who play Janet and Rad and who previously came to Barcelona with the musical, assure us that the Catalan audience is as dedicated as the English one. "The last time we were in Barcelona, ​​we realized that the message had reached here: people knew the songs, knew they had to respond, and they did so in Catalan and Spanish. With this musical, when you go on stage you never know what to expect, and it was a pleasure to see that there was a lot of participation here too," explains Flaherty.

"Sometimes, if people drink a little too much, things get interesting, especially during the Friday or Saturday performances. Unlike actors, who are trained to maintain a certain composure, the audience lets loose, and that's something we're already good at. In other shows, you need to suppress your response more."