Review: The Rocky Horror Show

The Rocky Horror Show, Monday April 29, Cambridge Corn Exchange

I’d never been so terrified. This was no ordinary Cambridge Corn Exchange crowd; suspenders, stilettos and feather boas lined the stalls, and the atmosphere was more akin to a rowdy football crowd than a theatre audience.

But then again The Rocky Horror Show is no ordinary musical. The rip roaring, hip-thrusting campfest has a cult following, and its disciples at the Monday night showing were ready to party.

Telling the story of squeaky-clean college sweethearts Brad and Janet and their adventure at the hands of Dr Frank-n-Furter (“a sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania”), The Rocky Horror Show is packed full of fun, frolics and timeless numbers, and is, by far, the raunchiest show I’ve ever seen – this is definitely not a show you’d take your mother to.

Not that that put anyone off though, as soon as the first few bars of Time Warp rung through the theatre, everyone was up on their feet, stepping to the left, jumping to the right, and pelvic thrusting like there was no tomorrow. The atmosphere was infectious, and even though it did feel a bit like a party I hadn’t been invited to, by the end I was wriggling away with the rest of the Rocky die-hards, minus suspenders of course.

The audience participation is all part of the show’s charm, with people regularly chipping in with little ad-libs, admittedly some did fall a little flat, but I think if I had been a little more familiar with the show, I’d have been giggling away with everyone else.

Show director Christopher Luscombe has given the show a new lease of life for its 40th anniversary tour, and the star-studded cast really packed a punch, with the energy, vocals, and comic timing right on point, and the amazing live band producing an electric atmosphere.

Oliver Thornton as Frank-N-Furter truly stole the show though, giving a high-octane performance packed with crudeness, killer vocals and even better legs – he had half the ladies in the audience wishing they could look that good in suspenders.

The show ended on a high with a sing-along to Time Warp and Sweet Transvestite, and the rousing standing-ovation proved that 40 years on, The Rocky Horror Show still has the wow factor.

Although not always my cup of tea (the plot borders on bonkers), I think a Rocky die-hard could be made of me yet, next time I just might have to start drinking earlier.

A little of what you fancy at Cambridge’s newest foodie experience

Lydia Fallon indulges her sweet tooth at Cambridge’s newest foodie experience – and discovers that when it comes to chocolate, the word ‘No’ is just not in her vocabulary.

As much as I like raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens and brown paper packages, cocktails, wine and chocolate would top my favourite things list hands down.

So when I discovered Cambridge Food Tour’s latest Sweeter than Chocolate experience included all three of these marvellous creations, I almost dropped my Dairy Milk in astonishment – this was an event I could not afford to miss.

Launched last September by the infectiously passionate Gerla Pusey-de Boer, Cambridge Food Tour is an independent company offering exciting foodie experiences and tours inspired by our beautiful city. From walking tours to supper clubs, Gerla is evangelical about getting people off the chain-lined beaten track and discovering Cambridge’s array of hidden gems – which, as it turns out, there are rather a lot of.

One of those gems is Chocolat Chocolat on St Andrew’s Street. A chocoholic’s heaven, the charming store is run by local husband and wife duo Isabelle and Robin Chappell, and the master chocolatiers have teamed up with Gerla for this latest Cambridge Food Tour experience.

“When I first started Cambridge Food Tours, I really wanted to add something sweet,” Gerla explains. “I got chatting with Isabelle and we decided to organise a tasting which she could run, and I could market.

“We wanted to do something challenging that would take down the boundaries, show people different combinations. You might not always like it but it allows people to try something different.”

Turning up to Cambridge City Hotel for the tasting, which promised “a decadent journey for your tastebuds”, it would be fair to say I was just a little bit excited. See, I adore chocolate. I truly believe a mere nibble makes the world a much happier place, and the Chocolat Chocolat variety is pretty much the pièce de résistance of the chocolate world. Add some tantalising tipples to the mix too, and you get the picture: I was in dreamland.

Settling down in my seat, an intoxicating aroma of cocoa took over my senses. I felt like I had stumbled on to the set of Chocolat (minus Johnny Depp, of course) and practically had to sit on my hands to stop myself reaching for the array of glorious flavours set out neatly in front of me. Nervously scanning the room for fellow chocoholics, I was pleased to see that everyone else appeared to be struggling to resist the urge to tuck in, too.

Luckily, before we could crumble under the pressure, Isabelle distracted us with talk of exactly what was in store. As well as catching a glimpse into life as leading chocolatiers, we would be learning more about the beans behind the bar and discovering exciting new flavour combinations to drool over.

But first it was time to put our tastebuds to the test. Three different bowls of chocolate had been laid out and after sampling each of them, we had to label the chocolate ‘good’, ‘better’ and ‘best’. After much deliberation, we all agreed we would label the chocolate that tasted suspiciously like Cadbury’s as ‘good’, and a mouth-watering dark piece took the ‘best’ accolade.

“Good chocolate should contain a minimum cocoa content of 53 per cent for dark, 30 per cent for milk and 25 per cent for white,” Isabelle explained. “Cheaper brands substitute cocoa butter with vegetable fat, so once you eat it you only get oil left in your mouth. That’s one of the reasons why you keep wanting more – a good dark chocolate will linger for 45 minutes.”

With barely enough time to lick our lips, the next batch of chocolate was brought to the table by Robin. Another tasting test (this was the kind of exam I could get on board with), we were told to use all our senses to match six different types of chocolate to six different descriptions. “One whiff of fresh chocolate and your defences come down,” Isabelle bubbled excitedly.

The chocolates originated from all over the world: there was a scrumptious white chocolate with hints of lemon from the Dominican Republic, a slightly bitter but gloriously fruity variety from the shores of Peru, and even a pure cocoa one – not for the fainthearted!

Our tastebuds now well and truly satisfied, it was time for wine. Bringing out a white and a red, Robin informed us the right wine with the right chocolate could instantly be a match made in heaven, pouring us a glass each so we could see for ourselves. The fruity white Viognier from France went beautifully with the Venezuelan milk chocolate, but the red paired with a smoky dark left me unconvinced. Of course, I glugged down the whole glass nonetheless; when in Rome and all that.

Our decadent journey continued with a cocktail tasting. The two drinks we sampled had been specially designed by Robin and Isabelle to complement their array of treats. The first, a Raspberry Martini, was a delicious mix of chocolate and raspberry vodka, garnished with shavings of white chocolate, and the second, Green Surprise, was a surprising concoction which, despite the garish colour, was incredibly satisfying.

You’re probably thinking that by this point, an hour and a half in, I must have had enough. I mean, how much decadence can one girl take? And in all honesty, my sweet tooth was feeling the strain. But before I had a chance to say ‘enough is enough’, a brand new batch of Chocolat Chocolat treats was unveiled, and as a piece of white chocolate and dried raspberry touched my lips, there was no turning back. I nibbled away with extra vigour, making a mental note that tomorrow a gym session was an absolute must. That’s if I could manage to get out of my seat.

The tasting ended with a quiz on everything we’d learnt over the course of the evening, and with the prize a bouquet of Chocolat Chocolat handmade chocolate, proceedings got rather competitive. Unfortunately my score of 5 out of 10 wasn’t enough to take the ultimate chocaholic crown, but a little Chocolat Chocolat doggie bag softened the blow.

Munching away on my goodies in the taxi ride home, I couldn’t help but think this evening was going to be hard to top. “I think everybody comes in a bit sceptical and not really sure what to expect,” says Gerla. “But then as the evening evolves, it’s really great to see the response. People seem to really enjoy themselves – it’s a great evening out.”

I vowed after my evening of pure indulgence, I’d steer clear of chocolate for at least a day, but then succumbed to that enchanting Chocolat Chocolat aroma again come breakfast time. I think I may have a problem . . . I guess I’ll just have to sign up to the next Sweeter than Chocolate tasting to satisfy my cravings.

The next Sweeter than Chocolate experience is on June 19 at 7pm at the Cambridge City Hotel. Spaces are limited so booking early is essential. To find out more visit the Cambridge Food Tours website at http://www.cambridgefoodtour.com or email Gerla on hello@foodiehaunts.net.