Rocky Horror Writer To Raise Funds For Isaac Theatre Royal

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Rocky Horror Show Writer Richard O’Brien Returns To Christchurch To Raise Funds For Rebuild of Isaac Theatre Royal

‘The TRAN IN BLACK’ is back for one unique Frock ‘n’ Roll fundraising show

Rocky Horror Show writer RICHARD O’BRIEN is back onstage in Christchurch for a unique one-off show The Tran in Black – All Hallows’ Frock ‘n’ Roll Show on Friday 1 November to help raise funds for the rebuild of the city’s famous Isaac Theatre Royal.

The show, at the Aurora Centre, will feature Richard “nattering away, picking up a guitar and hopefully entertaining everybody with stories and songs.

“And it would be perverse if I were not to sing The Time Warp, again,” Richard says. “People would feel slightly cheated, wouldn’t they? Break out the fishnets and come dressed delightfully – let’s have a party.”

All proceeds from Richard O’Brien’s The Tran in Black – All Hallows Frock ‘n’ Roll Show in Christchurch will be donated directly to the Isaac Theatre Royal rebuild fund.

The Isaac Theatre Royal was badly damaged in the devastating 2011 earthquakes and despite being well on the way to its reopening in mid-2014, it still faces a $5-6million shortfall to complete the recovery works on time.

Richard O’Brien has had a close association with the Theatre’s recovery and has been keeping up to date on progress since making a significant personal donation to the theatre’s rebuild plans in 2012.

Famed as the writer of The Rocky Horror Show, in 2010 O’Brien performed for the first time onstage in New Zealand, playing The Narrator in the show.

The final show on that tour was in Christchurch at the Isaac Theatre Royal stage on 13 December 2010 – it was also Richard’s last performance anywhere in the world in the show he penned in the early 1970s. The closing night climaxed with Richard rocking out on an electric guitar to a foot-stomping rendition of Rocky Horror’s classic anthem The Time Warp.

At the end of the extended standing ovation Richard announced he would auction his Jean-Paul Gaultier denim tail jacket he had worn throughout the tour and Fender Stratocaster guitar, ultimately raising $5000 for The Red Cross Mayoral Fund, set up at that time to aid recovery from the September 2010 earthquake which thankfully had left the theatre largely unscathed. Two months later however, the February 22 2011 quake caused widespread damage closing the Isaac Theatre Royal and the surrounding Christchurch CBD.

Richard O’Brien spent his teens and early 20s in Tauranga and Hamilton before moving to the UK in 1964. He returned to NZ recently to retire to Katikati in the Bay of Plenty and was finally granted New Zealand citizenship in December 2011.

He received a Master of Arts degree at a special conferment and dinner at Hamilton's Wintec in 2012 for his contribution to the arts in the Waikato saying it was "splendid to finally be able to prove that my teachers were wrong about me". In December 2012, a new production of The Rocky Horror Show began a year-long worldwide tour to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary.

Richard O’Brien’s The Tran in Black – All Hallows’ Frock ‘n’ Roll Show is at the Aurora Centre in Christchurch on Friday 1 November.  Tickets are on sale from Wednesday 17 July at 9.00am from Ticketek 0800 TICKETEK (842 538) www.ticketek.co.nz

ENDS

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