Stephen Webb had never worn makeup or pulled on a pair of tights until he stepped into the size-too-small heels of Dr Frank n Furter. But now, the actor says you ‘can’t get me out of the suspenders’ as he performs in The Rocky Horror Show at Manchester’s Opera House this week.
The West End star is going into his third year playing the iconic role, having started in 2018 but having to take a break during the pandemic. This year marks the legendary smash hit musical’s 50th anniversary - a landmark Stephen was desperate to be a part of.
The Richard O’Brien production has become the longest continuous run of a contemporary musical anywhere in the world, seen by over 30 million people in more than 30 countries, but it’s Manchester that the cast really love.
READ MORE: Meet the actor who’s performed in The Rocky Horror Show over 2,000 times
Stephen said: “Every single time whenever we go to Manchester they're a very intelligent crowd, they love theatre - not just Rocky Horror, every single show that I've been to in Manchester, they have always been fantastic. I love the venues that we go to like we've done the Palace and we've done the Opera House a couple of times. It's just a stunning venue and the whole cast really love playing here.”
The Rocky Horror Show - running at Opera House until Saturday, February 25 - is the story of two squeaky clean college kids, Brad and his fiancée Janet. When their car breaks down outside a creepy mansion whilst on their way to visit their former college professor, they meet the charismatic Dr Frank n Furter. It is an adventure they’ll never forget.
When auditioning for Frank n Furter, Stephen put on a risque show for the creative panel and bagged the role.
He said: “I never thought I'd ever be playing this role. it wasn't in my bucket list of playing. I got the audition for the role and I thought originally I'd be up for Brad. I watched the live production and I just fell in love with it, the audience participation, and the live band. I just thought ‘I've got to be part of this’.
“When I went in, they gave me Sweet Transvestite to sing and a couple of scenes. I couldn’t just stand there and sing the songs so I dressed up a bit, I bought some heels that were a size too small, put some tight jeans on and a shirt I ripped off and flung it to the panel and flirted with the creative team and it seemed to do the job. I can’t get out of the suspenders now!”
Stephen’s stage costume as Frank n Furter leaves little to the imagination. He struts on stage in a long cloak that he throws off to reveal fishnets and a corset.
“When I first did it, I felt completely out of my comfort zone,” he admitted. “It was something I've never done. But when I threw my cloak off and exposed myself, the audience screamed and felt like a popstar, it's amazing.”
The actor had never before worn makeup beyond a bit of foundation on stage, and drew inspiration from glam rock icons like David Bowie and Marc Bolan when he discovered there wasn’t going to be anyone to teach him to stick on his false lashes or pencil his brows in.
He added: “I’ve been in this industry for 20 years and had never worn makeup before. During tech rehearsals I would go home and practice because it was the thing that I was most anxious about.
“My makeup look isn’t perfect, but it's not supposed to be, it's supposed to be a bit rough around the edges. Frank n Furter just wants to put things on that he likes. I love that about him. You know, he doesn't care what people think of him.”
Some have criticised the Rocky Horror show online for being a ‘transphobic nightmare’, but other members of the LGBTQ+ community disagree. Stephen believes The Rocky Horror Show offers individuals a ‘safe space’ where you can be yourself.
“Spoiler alert, Frank is from another world,” he said. “He's not from planet Earth, he's from a planet of transsexuals in a completely different galaxy. At the end of the day, we're all having fun and the show shouldn't be taken too seriously.
"Frank is classified however people want him to be or how they want to be. But I see Frank as a pansexual man.
“He sees these two characters that are Brad and Janet. And he looks at them and he thinks he can mould them. These two characters are very clean cut, very naive to the world, and then they come into his lair, and then when they come out of the castle, they’ve changed. And they're much more worldly wise, and a lot more liberated.
“This show, particularly, for the next two hours, puts you in a safe space, it's people that feel like they don't know where they fit into society, it allows people to come dressed up and have a good time.”
And dress up they do. Manchester Evening News’ Hana Kelly went to the opening night of the production and it was heels, hold ups and feather boas galore as the cult-classic returned to the city centre.
Stephen added: “This show becomes more and more popular each year. It seems to become so current now in today's climate about being whoever you want to be and about being gender fluid. Frank n Furter is such an iconic role and to be able to be a part of this legacy of the show, it’s an honour and I absolutely love it.”
The 38-year-old actor said his favourite part of the whole show is one when he’s not actually in view of the audience. Frank n Furter hides behind a huge door as the rest of the cast perform the Time Warp, and it’s in that moment he can see the audience up on their feet having ‘the time of their lives’.
“Seeing people literally having the best time, it makes me realise what I do for a living,” he said. “That for me is why I do it, when they open the doors and they're screaming and having the time of their lives.
“I was in Dublin last week, and there were over 2,000 people and I've never been hit by a sound like it - it was like a rock concert. Watching the crowd is my favourite part because as soon as the lights come on me I can't see anyone.”
Stephen’s first encounter with The Rocky Horror show was when he was 15 years old and ‘didn’t have a clue what was going on’ - but he adored the timeless rock and roll songs - namely his own number, Floorshow.
He added: “The song is proper glam rock and as it builds, you can hear the crowd get so behind it and I just love it. I sing it as if you see the man behind the mask, after all his shenanigans and everything he kind of sings it for anyone that kind of gets insecure or anything like that.”
When he’s not in stockings and suspenders, Stephen loves exploring Manchester, and says The Blues Kitchen, on Quay Street, does ‘the best lunch’ - but he has to time it perfectly.
“I can't really eat on the show because I'm wearing a corset. So I have to space it out within a couple of hours before I put the costume on. They do a fantastic lunch in The Blues Kitchen and it's massive. I just really like what they’ve done with the venue.
“You've also got The Ivy next door, which is always fantastic. They've combined it with Asia as well. I remember going to the Opera House and opposite there used to be nothing. It used to just be a parking lot. And now what they've created in that space is amazing. There's so much there now and it's very up market.
“And there's so much to do in Manchester. There's great nightlife, there's great shopping, and there's plenty to do there. It's always been a highlight to go to Manchester.”
The Rocky Horror show opened on February 20 and will run until February 25. You can read our full review here.
But as Stephen puts it: “If you've never seen this show, you’ll have the best time of your life. There's not another show like it, and that's why it stands by itself. And that's why it's been going on for the past 50 years.”
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