When the Rocky Horror Show was first appeared in New York a year or two after it had taken London by storm it shall we say....bombed. Rocky as the original show never really caught America's imagination, whereas in the UK and most other places in the world it has been a success for nearly thirty years.

The movie the Rocky Horror Picture Show however inspired the first talk-back lines in the USA. Later the UK audiences would start talk-back for the stage productions, and the show got bigger, and many people would say, better as the years went by.

Listening to this CD my first impression was how close to a present day UK stage production everything sounds (with a couple of noticeable exceptions). Jordan Roth is to be congratulated for producing the kind of show in the USA that we have enjoyed for many years. We often receive messages at TimeWarp from the USA asking why they made a stage show of the movie, fortunately this production is the show itself, not some pale version of the 1975 movie.

A lot of love has gone into this CD, the packaging is well thought out with a nice shot of the stage revolving as a backdrop to the CD holder section. A sixteen page booklet is also included which gives a nice insight into the production and the cast.

One thing some people may find a little strange to start is the character of Eddie/Dr.Scott is played by Lea DeLaria (yep it's a woman), personally I liked this idea, although I found her Dr.Scott a little more like Dr.Strangelove.

I'll leave the rest of the reviewing to Rob, overall I can say I enjoyed this CD, PLAY IT LOUD!!!

Track Listing

1. Overture 0:52
2. Science Fiction Double Feature 3:20
3. Damn It, Janet 2:22
4. Over at the Frankenstein Place 3:20
5. Time Warp 4:20
6. Sweet Transvestite 3:47
7. The Sword of Damocles 2:58
8. I Can Make You A Man 1:50
9. Hot Patootie 2:55
10. I Can Make You A Man (reprise) 1:57
11. Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me 2:27
12. Once in a While 3:30
13. Eddie's Teddy 3:10
14. Planet Schmanet - Wise Up Janet Weiss 2:50
15. Floor Show/Rose Tint My World 7:55
16. I'm Going Home 2:56
17. Spaceship 1:33
18. Super Heroes 1:57
19. Science Fiction Double Feature (reprise) 1:21
20. Time Warp (reprise) 1:14

Total Playing Time 56:43

Booklet details.

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Sunday, 27th July, 2000
There are people, I'm sure, who simply do not realise what a monumental event this is. Long time ROCKY HORROR fans (myself included) had almost given up hope of ever seeing a Broadway Cast Recording of our favourite obsession.
ROCKY had, after all, failed to light up New York in 1975, despite having already conquered London, Los Angeles, and Sydney.
This album, therefore, is long long overdue. But, boy, has it been worth the wait! Of course, the show itself has been made bigger, brighter, and glitzier to make it the Tony Award-nominated Broadway hit it has now (at last) become, but it's evident from the recording that the creative forces behind it have not betrayed it's classic rock 'n' roll origins.