Can’t stop the rock! Brendan Irving on Rocky Horror

Brendan Irving is having the time of his life in The Rocky Horror Show, the musical theatre actor is playing the title role of Rocky for the third time in his career and and he admits its a role he relishes.

“I just wanted this role so badly. When your on stage in this production, its like no other production I’ve ever been in. I’ve done other shows in between each tour of Rocky Horror, major musicals, but they’re not the same…each time I come back it’s like ‘Boom!’ the excitement is there.

“When they play the overture for Rocky Horror and two thousand people scream. And nothing has even happened yet. And the moment the Narrator steps up, they just all go into meltdown, then Frank N Furter comes on, the hype goes up again. And that’s all before I come on. It’s rare to be in a show where you get a standing ovation almost every night

“It’s a really rare opportunity to be in a show where everyone’s gagging for it, before it even starts” Brendan said, describing performing in the show as a great pleasure, “This why we do what we do, to make people really happy.”

While he was familiar with the film version of the musical, at first Brendan didn’t know it began life as a stage musical. The first time he auditioned for the role, he was unsuccessful.

“I didn’t even get a look in,” Brendan said, “A few years later a new production came around and I was like ‘This role is mine!’    

Brendan Irving will be slipping on Rocky’s tiny shorts for the Perth season of The Rocky Horror Show, it open at the Crown Theatre on Saturday 17th February, tickets are available from Ticketmaster.