Rocky Horror Show Characters

THE NARRATOR – Male: the older and wiser the better. | The narrator would like, if he may, to take us on a strange journey, and indeed he provides the vital link for the audience, both as friend and conspirator, to the events of the story as it unfolds. The role has traditionally been played by a profiled celebrity actor and in his role as guide throughout the proceedings, the breakdown really is dependant on the style of the profiled actor. However, experience has proved that a male actor between late 40’s and 50’s works well, who might have been, or remains, a TV news reader or presenter, or perhaps a well known ‘serious’ stage actor. Whatever the background, they should have the friendly gravitas for our audience to feel warm towards them, but not too comfortable. He is also traditionally the only character who may react with the audience and when there are inevitable heckles from the audience, it works best when the actor has a string of witty retorts available with which to reply.

FRANK’N’FURTER – Male: 30’ | The key Frank’n’furter is that he should be both physically and sexually attractive to women and men. This is not about camp or drag; it is about manly bisexuality and transvestism in a way which allows everyone to question quite which sex he prefers. He is mysterious, mischievous, outrageous and out spoken, self gratifying and self centred, but capable of a sensitivity and passion that exceeds his human counterparts. He is also the most senior of the aliens we meet from the planet Transsexual in the Galaxy of Transylvania.

BRAD MAJORS – Janet’s fiancé | Male: 20’s | Archetypal handsome American college jock. The boy every clean living American girl would want to take home to her family. He is well mannered, just muscular enough to be a jock but not a stud,. Just sensitive enough to be a gentleman but not a geek. Just shy enough to….perhaps try something a little naughty. Attractive, smart and intelligent but with a simple charm and naivety about him which, like Janet, could well be his undoing. As with Janet, Brad discovers himself throughout his experience over at the Frankenstein Place and whilst we never quite know to what effect it has on him in the future, it certainly has a major effect on him during the production.

JANET WEISS – Brad’s Fiancée | Female: 20’s |  | Archetypal attractive all-american girl next door. The girl every clean living American boy would want to take home to his family. Janet is quiet, but just a little annoying; doting, but not quite enough to stop her from straying; and beautiful ….and she probably knows it. Despite her love for Brad, there is an underlying sense that it doesn’t take long for this Eve to taste the forbidden apple. And once Frank has made love to her, her sudden attraction to muscles makes Rocky a very swift second course.

RIFF RAFF – Frank’n’furter’s Servant and Magenta’s Brother | Male: 30 – 40 | The worm that turned…..obsequious manservant to Frank’n’furter. A slimy, uncomfortable creature with a less than welcoming chilly manner. Not too pleasant to look at and a hump to add to the effect. Lythe, repulsive, Machiavellian, and subservient. But also misunderstood and adoring of his sister, Magenta. He also has a slow burning desire which, by the end of the story, allows him the strength to take surprising control of the situation and, with the sole purpose of killing Frank and taking himself and his sister back to their beloved planet, shows great strength of character in murdering Frank and his toy, Rocky.

MAGENTA – Riff Raff’s Sister | Female: 30’s | MAGENTA is strong and confident, but remains subservient to Frank’n’Furter. She tolerates her stay on Planet Earth with a degree of reticence though secretly, like her brother, is bored of what earth has to offer and wishes to return to planet Transexual. She is exotic, bewitching, smart and beguiling, but her emotions are difficult to judge and one senses a great inner strength.

USHERETTE | Female: 30’s |  opens and closes the production with Science Fiction. With her adoration for ‘B’ movies she is the catalyst by which our audience enters the fantasy world of the Rocky Horror story.

COLUMBIA – Eddie and Franks Ex Lover. | Female: 30’s | Ditzy pop tart who just happens to have come along for the ride. She is excitable, energised, frenetic and most certainly is several sandwiches short of a picnic. Whilst the others might grow weary of their surrounding, Columbia finds excitement in everything. She is the mad drinking companion we all wish we had, but she is also the nutter on the bus you can’t stop yourself taking to. Bubbly, energised, fun and neurotic all bundled up in a ball of sillyness.

ROCKY – Frank’n’furter’s new creation. | Male: 20’s | Forget Arnie. Forget Rambo, Forget Charles Atlas. This is Rocky. A beautiful specimen of muscular manhood created by Frank’n’furter for his pleasure and sexual amusement. His body is perfect and he is beautiful to look at. The epitomy of godliness in a young man. Sadly he only has half a brain, and we’re not entirely sure if that is working – he is boyish, shy, naive, simple and unobjectionable. But wants to learn quickly….perhaps too quickly. And whilst Frank may have desires on hoping Rocky may prevail upon his own sexual whims, Rocky is rather too quickly seduced by Janet. Whether he knows which is right and which is wrong, he certainly seems to please.

EDDIE – Frank’n’furter’s ex lover | Male: 30’s | EDDIE is the jilted lover of Frank’n’furter (and Columbia). He is a rough leather clad biker type., rather too heavy in build. He was once, we imagine, rather attractive, but has lost his way a bit. One wonders how he ever coped with the glamorous bi-sexual world with Frank – looking at him now, he is very much past his prime. But he is still adored by Columbia and his brief return in Act One with the Rock and Roll jive number ‘Hot Patootie creates great excitement from all except Frank, who swiftly chops him up into pieces with a chain saw.

DR SCOTT – EDDIE’S UNCLE | Male: 50’s | DR SCOTT is Janet and Brad’s elderly science teacher who also works secretly for the Government attached to the Bureau of the investigation of UFO’s. He is a friendly, kindly professor type and the only sensible and responsible adult in the piece. Wheelchair bound, one wonders why he has joined the party. Is it a chance visit or , as Frank believes, is there a conspiracy between Dr Scott and Brad to capture the aliens?

PHANTOMS | Male and Female – 20’s | The mysterious ‘chorus’ of the piece. Are they shadows? Are they gargoyles that come to life? Are they ghosts? Their mystery is as much a part of the production as the other outlandish characters we meet, and they provide for us all the elements of traditional greek chorus, practically, physically and verbally manipulating the story as it unfolds. They provide vocal choral backing through out the musical score, and, in the current UK production, physically manipulate the space as creators of the various environments we are taken to. Unlike the other characters on stage, we are always aware of their presence but they rarely intrude into the ‘physical scenes’