Jason Donovan’s performance in The Rocky Horror Show has gone down a storm with many theatre fans – but not all.
The Australian superstar returned to the UK this year as part of a new world tour for Richard O’Brien’s legendary rock ‘n’ roll musical.
Jason, 56, reprises one of his most famous roles, Frank-n-Furter, which he first played in 1998.
Upon learning there was going to be a 50th-anniversary production of Rocky Horror, the Neighbours alum emailed producer Howard Panter to express his eagerness to take part – and here we are.
Alas, theatregoers have mixed opinions.
Having watched Jason perform this weekend, one fan penned a scathing review on TikTok, branding his portrayal of Frank-n-Further ‘disrespectful’, ‘ill-prepared’, and ‘borderline offensive’.
In a post with over 20,000 likes, user Melisa.Kelly wrote: ‘I see shows regularly and have done for years, this is the only time I have complained. Ever. I will always give performers the benefit of the doubt, “Well, maybe they were sick”, or “maybe there was a tech issue.” But this is something else.’
Of Jason’s performance, she claimed: ‘He continuously made bad joke references to taking cocaine. He dropped into his Australian accent several times. He laughed in the middle of lines. At one point, he started talking to the actor portraying creature of the night at the side of the stage, breaking immersion.’
She accused Jason of ‘playing Frank like he was an offensive gay stereotype.’
The audience member actually walked out of the show before it finished, claiming that someone sitting next to her did the same during the interval, without returning.
She shared: ‘The moment that I finally stood up and left was his performance of I’m Going Home. It appeared at one point he was trying to antagonise rather than console his colleagues.’
Having seemingly emailed the production company, she added that ‘none of this is acceptable’ and branded Jason’s entire performance as ‘deplorable.’
Others agreed with her savage review, declaring him ‘terrible casting’.
However, taking to the comments, many jumped to the actor’s defence.
‘Did you watch a different show to me? He was hilarious and brilliant!’, wrote Mammamia.
Karla added: ‘i was at the show on thursday…and i loved it..bearing in mind he had back injury and was in a lot of pain he smashed it’.
Phoebe echoed: ‘i saw Jason Donovan in the role recently and i thought he killed it’.
Speaking ahead of his return to Rocky Horror Jason made his love for the show clear.
On why he was coming back, the Dancing On Ice star shared: ‘In a nutshell, I’m a fan. I love the show; I love the music; I love the character. I was touring my own show about five years ago and included Sweet Transvestite from Rocky as a key moment in my musical career. It went down a storm.’
Jason added: ‘One of the reasons I love Rocky is because it’s a short show. It says everything it needs to say and nothing more. There’s no unnecessary padding. It means nobody gets bored and you leave them wanting more.’
He plays the role throughout 2024, with Stephen Webb taking on Frank at selected dates. Then, in February 2025, Adam Strong will take over.
The pop star is no stranger to theatre, of course, most prominently taking the lead role of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the early 1990s.
His other theatre credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music, Chicago, and Grease.
Reps for Jason Donovan have been contacted for comment.
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