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On display

The Rocky Horror Show

Poster
1991 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Pictorial and typographic poster for The Rocky Horror Show at the Piccadilly Theatre, illustrated with four separate drawings creating a composite image, showing, individually, the head of a young blonde woman, a muscular male torso, the crotch and thighs of a woman in a thong, and lower legs in boots. The drawings in colour on a white background with the title, The Rocky Horror Show in red, as if dripping blood, at centre right, and the actors' names and details of the production team in dark blue lettering above and below. At lower left, within a speech bubble, the words, '"IT'S A MAD, BAD, FUN MUSICAL" DAILY MIRROR'.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Rocky Horror Show (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Printing ink on paper
Brief description
Poster advertising The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O'Brien, Piccadilly Theatre, 1991
Physical description
Pictorial and typographic poster for The Rocky Horror Show at the Piccadilly Theatre, illustrated with four separate drawings creating a composite image, showing, individually, the head of a young blonde woman, a muscular male torso, the crotch and thighs of a woman in a thong, and lower legs in boots. The drawings in colour on a white background with the title, The Rocky Horror Show in red, as if dripping blood, at centre right, and the actors' names and details of the production team in dark blue lettering above and below. At lower left, within a speech bubble, the words, '"IT'S A MAD, BAD, FUN MUSICAL" DAILY MIRROR'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 42cm
  • Width: 30cm
Gallery label
(2020)
Gallery rotation, 2020

POSTER FOR THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
1991

The Rocky Horror Show premiered at the tiny Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in 1973. From these small beginnings it became a worldwide stage phenomenon and a cult film. Audiences respond to the mixture of camp B-movie horror, rock music and transsexualism by dressing up and joining in with the dialogue and songs. The poster for the Piccadilly Theatre’s 1990–91 production suggests the characters’ gender fluidity.

Designed by Shaun Webb, illustrated by John Higgins and Roy Foy
Printing ink on paper
Museum no. S.3224-1994
Object history
Associated Production: The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Playwright: Richard O'Brien. Choreographer: Stuart Hopps. Director: Robin Lefevre. Set designer: Robin Don. Costume designer: Sue Blane. Actors: Peter Bayliss, Anthony Head. Piccadilly Theatre, Denman Street, London. This poster advertises the cast change in January 1991. Performance category: musical.
Collection
Accession number
S.3224-1994

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Record createdJuly 27, 2010
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