INTERVIEW: Rocky Horror star Brian Capron

BEST known for playing serial killer Richard Hillman in soap opera Coronation Street, Brian Capron has swapped murder for musicals and is now reprising his role as the Narrator in cult musical The Rocky Horror Show.

Thrusting his way into The Orchard theatre, Dartford, Brian will join the cast of eccentric cross-dressers for the world’s cheekiest, sexiest and most downright outrageous show.

Despite having enjoyed critical acclaim for his performance in the West End production of Rocky and Guys and Dolls, Brian fell into musical theatre by accident.

He said: “The Rocky Horror Show is such a fabulous show to be involved with. I’m particulalry fond of it because, going back two or three years, I was doing a series called Where The Heart Is.

“I’d just done three series and assumed I had a job which was going to go on for some time.

“Rocky Horror had asked me to do just three weeks as the Narrator but I really didn’t have anything to do with musicals. It’s not my kind of area. So I said, alright, I’ll have a go.

“While I was doing it I had the shock that ITV were pulling Where The Heart Is, despite the fact that our producers felt very confident that, with our viewing figures, we’d be going again.

“I thought, oh my God, what am I going to do? I’ve lost my series. But the theatre group asked me if I’d like to continue with the Narrator, take it into the West End and carry on.

“It was fantastic and in a way I got another string to my bow. So I found myself in a whole new line of work, which I’m very grateful for. In a sense I owe it all to Rocky.”

Currently starring Olivier Award winner David Bedella as the cross-dressing Frank ‘n’ Furter, the show has seduced audiences all over the world for more than 30 years.

Brian says the secret to its success lies in its sense of fun and originality.

“It’s a very odd, quirky show in that it is a patiche of old B-movies which people wouldn’t really understand now. But there’s no other show like it and it is completely unique,” he gushes.

“The public all around the world took it to their hearts after the film version, which meant it could be brought back to the stage.

“I think it will go on forever and it’s almost like a religion for the people who come and see it. It’s also expressing a lot of things that people feel. there’s a lot of bigotry around and this show wipes all that aside.”

But despite three decades of saucy suspender silliness, and the odd tweak here and there, the seasoned actor insists the show has lost none of its raciness or ability to shock.

Brian said: “This is a new kind of Rocky. It’s the same show but in previous productions they were getting worried because it was becoming a bit of a pantomime and was ruled by the audience.

“The show has been made much tighter with the drama and music. It’s much more dynamic to watch now. So Rocky virgins who come to it follow it much more.

“You’ve also got to serve the people who love it and come to see it all the time, so obviously all the favourite bits are in there.”

Audience participation may have been reined in but the role of the Narrator is still as cutthroat as in previous productions.

He said: “They still allow shout-outs but they are taken mostly by the Narrator, which is why it’s great fun because you’re out there and they’re giving you hell. You’ve got to have the witty comebacks.

“You’re always walking on hot bricks wondering what people are going to say. You’ve got to come back with something good because if you don’t the audience will maul you to death.”

Times may have changed and the guilty pleasure of slipping on your girlfriend’s lacey lingerie may no longer be such a crime, but Brian insists the show is still just as poignant today as it was in the 1970s.

He said: “Rocky is totally relevant and perhaps even more relevant today. We’re much more accepting of cross-dressing now and there’s a great deal of transvestism in the show, which is obviously one of Richard O’Brien’s favourite subjects.

“I think people are still fairly shocked by it. It’s a hot show and when I first saw it I couldn’t believe it. I just thought it was so fantastic and was shocked at how good it was and how relevant it was. It’s a wonderful story and very moving as well.”

So brush up on those pelvic thrusts, squeeze into that corset and slip into those killer stilettos because the world’s favourite rock and roll musical is back with a vengeance.

So pick your seats, dress to impress and get ready for Rocky.

The Rocky Horror Show. The Orchard, Home Gardens, Dartford. January 25 to January 30. Tickets from £18. 01322 220000.