Rocky Horror Picture show

My first time seeing this crazy musical. A real blast! It was at the Camps Bay theatre and we were there with Wendy and Graeme.

The Rocky Horror Show, the legendary cult rock musical, was created by Richard O'Brien, blending science fiction, horror, comedy, and glam rock into one wildly unconventional theatrical experience. First performed in London in 1973, it tells the story of an innocent young couple who stumble into the bizarre mansion of the eccentric Dr Frank-N-Furter and encounter a cast of strange and unforgettable characters. Packed with iconic songs, outrageous costumes, and audience participation, it became one of the most famous cult musicals of all time and later inspired the hugely successful film The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

One of Sam's ex classmates played Brad. He was amazing.

What a setting for a theatre!

Memorable moments: The profane pharaoh

At school, it was boys only—so naturally, boys had to play the female roles. For reasons no one ever fully explained, I became the go-to woman.

I played everything from anxious mothers to dramatic widows, but the peak was an elderly spinster on a plane who foils a hijacking attempt. I studied my gran for days—her posture, her voice, the way she pursed her lips at mild disapproval. It worked. I won the annual acting award.

But by my final year, I’d had enough.

“Bugger this,” I thought. “I want a masculine role.”

We were doing Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat, and I went straight for Pharaoh—the Elvis-style showstopper. Pelvic thrusts. Swagger. Power. Redemption.

Opening night: I cycled onto stage in padded cycling shorts (for reasons that made sense at the time), grabbed the microphone, and launched into full Elvis mode. The thrusts were… enhanced. The crowd loved it. Slight complication: my gran was in the second row, witnessing the entire evolution of her observational study in reverse.

But it was a triumph. Overnight, I went from deeply uncool to oddly legendary among the younger boys.

Then came the final night.

I cycled on. Big entrance. Huge energy. Grabbed the wired microphone… and nothing.

Silence.

Without thinking, I whispered loudly, “Switch on the effing microphone!”

At which exact moment… it switched on.

My voice boomed through the entire hall.

There was a stunned pause.

Then the biggest laugh of the entire show.

I set out to prove I was a man's man; I ended up proving that if you’re going to swear in front of your grandmother, you might as well do it in padded bike shorts with a backing band.

Memorable moments: The human landmark

I was at the Nico Malan Theatre in Cape Town, enjoying a musical from my prized aisle seat. When the house lights came up for intermission, the usual stampede for the bar began.

A woman in my row, clearly in a hurry for her Chardonnay, managed to plant her heel firmly—and painfully—onto my foot as she pushed past. I braced for the apology, but she didn’t even break stride. She vanished into the lobby, leaving me nursing my dignity and a throbbing toe.

Twenty minutes later, the bells chimed and the audience filtered back in. I saw the woman returning, this time trailing her partner behind her. She stopped right in front of me and peered down.

"Did I step on your foot earlier?" she asked pointedly.

I straightened my posture, ready to graciously accept the long-awaited apology. "Yes," I said, offering a small, forgiving smile. "You did."

She didn't smile back. She didn't say sorry. Instead, she turned to her partner with a look of triumphant relief.

"See?" she announced. "This is the right row!"

Stage musicals I've been to

Childhood

• South Pacific

University years

• District 6
• Madam Butterfly

Old Mutual years

• River Dance
• The Buddy Holly Story

London (1997)

• Phantom of The Opera
• Jesus Christ Superstar
• Miss Saigon

London (2000 - 2005)

• Chicago
• Les Miserables
• Starlight Express
• The Mikado
• Mama Mia
• Joseph
• The Lion King (with Niki)

Australia

• Pricilla Queen of the Desert (with Ally & Kerri)
• Jersey Boys (with Lizzy)
• Chorus Line  (with Dani)
• Anything Goes (with Sue)
• Evita (with Christina)

Cape Town visits

• Annie
• Rocky Horror Picture Show

"Anything Goes" at The Opera House

Beautiful birthday presents from Sue: a book and a show.

I met Sue at her house where she gave me an unexpected birthday present.  It was a a copy of Wild Life by Brad Wilson, a book of animal portraits that I was so entranced with at the bookstore that I was in tears. Sue was with me at the time.  Being the amazing friend she is, she went back and got it for me.  I was touched beyond words by her gift.  It's now my most prized book.

We then went together to Circular Quay on the ferry and had a nice meal overlooking The Harbour Bridge.

Then to The Show which was great fun with lots of fantastic songs.  We had great seats, overlooking The Stage.  Cole Porter sure was a musical genius.

Such  great evening I will always remember, a big thanks to Sue.

Wild Life by Brad Wlison

Just some of the wonderful photos.  Eyes are the windows to the soul.  Animals have souls just as rich and important as our own.  If there is a spiritual reason why we exist, then it encompasses animals just as much as us.