Why I am putting on my suspender belt and returning to the Rocky Horror Show says Jason Donovan
Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show will always have a special place in the heart of former Neighbours actor and pop star Jason Donovan. It was when he first played Frank-N-Further 25 years ago that he met his wife, stage manager, Angela Malloch.
And so when he heard that the anarchic show we being revived to mark it’s 50th anniversary he jumped at the chance to done high heels and suspender belt once again as Dr Frank- N-Furter
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Hide Ad“I’m a fan. I love the show; I love the music; I love the character. I was touring my own show about five years ago and included ‘Sweet Transvestite’ from Rocky as a key moment in my musical career. It went down a storm. And so when I heard Rocky was touring again for the 50th anniversary I emailed producer Howard Panter asking if I could be involved.”


Panter thought it was a great idea and cast Donovan as Frank in the Rocky tour first in Sydney and Melbourne and then an extensive UK tour including Sheffield later this month and Leeds and Hull next summer.
The Rocky Horror Show first began life in 1973 before an audience of just 63 people in the Royal Court’s Theatre Upstairs. It was an immediate success and transferred to the Chelsea Classic Cinema, before going on to run at the Kings Road Theatre, 1973-79 and the Comedy Theatre in the West End, 1979-80.
Since it first opened, the Rocky Horror Show has become the longest continuous run of a contemporary musical anywhere in the world. The show has been seen by over 30 million people worldwide in more than 30 countries and translated into 20 languages as it continues to delight audiences on its sell-out tour.
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Hide AdIn 1975 it was transformed into a film called ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. This film adaptation took over $135 million at the Box Office and is still shown in cinemas around the world more than 40 years after its premiere, making it the longest running theatrical release in cinema history. Many stars including Russell Crowe, Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Jerry Springer, Meatloaf and of course Jason Donovan have appeared in the Rocky Horror Show over the past 50 years.


So how does it feel to create the role he first played in his 30s? "To be honest, I can’t really remember much about 1998 but that’s another story. It feels very right and comfortable this character 56 – and, of course, I have personal reasons for being grateful to the show.” Donovan has talked openly about his struggles with cocaine during that period of his life, something he managed to overcome after Angela became pregnant with their daughter.
“If the relationship had any chance of working, she told me, and if I was going to have any involvement in the life of our child, I would have to give up the self-indulgent hedonistic lifestyle of the 90s and take greater control of my life. And I did.”
It was a major turning point in his life and the beginning of a relationship – the couple finally married in 2008 – that has stood him in good stead from that day to this. The couple have three children: Jemma is 24 and an actress; 23-year-old Zac is a TV producer in Australia and Molly, 13, is still at school. Family is all important to Donovan who grew up with his dad feeling like an only child, as his sister went to live with their mother from whom is is estranged.
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Hide AdDonovan became a household name in the Australian soap, Neighbours alongside on and off screen girlfriend Kylie Minogue.
He’d actually started acting at a much young age as his father is actor Terence Donovan so it was likely he would follow in his father’s footsteps.
But Neighbours was his breakthrough and like Kylie was a springboard to a pop career which then morphed into a career in musical theatre.
"It (Neighbours) was a global sensation and just opened so many doors,” recalls Donovan who is also embarking on his own major tour next year which he will juggle with his Rocky Horror Show commitments. Doin’ Fine 25 tour, is a celebration of his career in music, theatre, TV and film. This tour will take fans on a journey through 35 years of hits on stage and screen accompanied by his live band.
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Hide AdIt follows his Doin’ Fine 90 tour 34 years ago which followed a frenzied few years of success. His debut single, Nothing Can Divide Us had shot to number 5 in the UK charts in September 1988, followed by the iconic duet with Kylie, Especially For You; which topped the charts for 14 weeks. The hype around Jason Donovan continued with his first solo UK number one, Too Many Broken Hearts, and the chart-topping album Ten Good in 1989. In June 1990 Jason embarked on his Doin’ Fine 90 tour, performing to thousands of enthusiastic fans in sold-out venues worldwide. Doin’ Fine 25 hopes to invoke some of the memories from that special moment in time.
“I am really excited about this tour. My musical journey has been an incredible ride, and I can’t wait to celebrate it by performing the songs that have been such an important part of my life and career. It’s going to be a fantastic show, and I look forward to sharing these unforgettable moments with the audience.”
When his pop career started to wain Donovan took on the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1991 production of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and he went on to star in shows like ’The Rocky Horror Show’, ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’, ‘Priscilla’, ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘Annie Get Your Gun’, ‘Jeff Wayne’s ‘The War Of The Worlds’ and ‘Grease’. Doin’ Fine 25 is a culmination of his achievements over three decades in the music and theatre industry.
But at the moment he is focused on Rocky and how it has had a cult following for 50 years. "The universal message of being a misfit and the celebration of life and being yourself still resonates with today’s audiences,” says Donovan. ”The cult of Rocky Horror has just got bigger and better in time. There is a certain amount of darkness but there is light at the end and that’s the message – it’s about dreaming to be different.
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Hide Ad"The songs are still relevant today. They are great songs – there’s nothing complicated about it but being uncomplicated is quite a difficult thing to achieve, to say things in a very succinct way and not overcook is very difficult – I know I’ve tried song writing.
"It’s a unique piece of theatre as it’s a rock and roll show with a story. It’s a two our long bit of magic.”
Jason Donovan’s Doin’ Fine 25 Tour is scheduled to kick off in February 2025. Tickets for the show are general sale on 24th November from 10am. An exclusive fan pre-sale is available from November 20. Full information is available via jasondonovan.com.
For the full Yorkshire dates of the Rocky Horror Show visit rockyhorror.co.uk
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