Rocky Horror Show's 50th anniversary tour reaches Portsmouth with local star Darcy Finden returning to The Kings Theatre

And before that she’d played the lead role in Annie by South Downe Musical Society at the same Southsea venue. Now, she is returning as a professional, playing Columbia in the 50th anniversary tour of the Rocky Horror Show.

Richard O’Brien’s legendary rock‘n’roll musical celebrates five decades of non-stop partying with this special anniversary production.

Since it first opened in London in June 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre The Rocky Horror Show has become the longest continuous run of a contemporary musical anywhere in the world. The show has been seen by more than 30m people worldwide in more than 30 countries and translated into 20 languages as it continues to delight audiences on its sell-out international tour.

​Darcy, from Whiteley, has been with the show for nearly two years now, initially as one of the Phantoms – the show’s backing singers and performers – but since last October she stepped up into one of the principal roles.

NOW READ: Father Ted star to headline Chatherington Comedy Festival

When we talk, the company has recently returned from performing in Italy.

“It was amazing, but it was bizarre because we're such an interactive show, we really play off the audience,’ says Darcy – the show is famously big on audience participation.

“There's a lot of shout-outs in Rocky Horror, and in Italy we got a whole load of new shout-outs, a lot of them meant for the film and some of it in Italian! so it was really interesting to play off of that, but they loved it. It's fun to do something a little different, but Rocky Horror is worldwide – they love it everywhere.

“You find yourself pausing sometimes for someone in the audience to do the shout-out, especially the really common, famous ones, and you have to get used to not always pausing because you're not always going to get them when you're somewhere like Italy!

“But it's crazy how many people know the audience script, and how over 50 years it's spread from generation to generation and everyone knows them.’

Joining Rocky as a Phantom was Darcy’s first professional job since graduating.

Before landing the first role in Rocky, Darcy admits she wasn’t “overly familiar” with the show.

“I'd seen the film, but not any time recently, and I obviously knew the classic songs, but I'd never seen the stage version, so it was all pretty new to me. which in a way, that's what made it so exciting to me, that it was all new.

"I had other people telling me that I suited it in the way I am as a person and perform - it's the sort of thing I would do, probably because I'm a bit manic!”

However, as her first professional job out of acting school, she says: “It was already a dream to be one of the Phantoms, and I covered Magenta last year, so I got a taste of what it was like, but to step up to Columbia was just amazing. It's something I'd never even imagined, playing a principal in a UK tour – it's been great.’

Even though she grew up with parents Alan and Mary-Rose Finden both involved in the local am-dram scene, Darcy says it wasn’t inevitable she’d end up on stage.

“We were always encouraged to do sports and be active when we were young. I picked dance and enjoyed it and did carry on.

“When I was seven they were part of Fareham Musical Society and they were doing Annie. I had never done musical theatre before, but my mum asked if I wanted to do it. As a seven-year-old girl, that's the dream, so I auditioned and got the part of Molly. We did that at Ferneham Hall, and that was my introduction to it – from there I was just involved in that world.”

And now she’s looking forward to playing at The Kings again​​​​. “This will bring back a lot of memories – and returning with a professional show, I can’t wait.”

The Rocky Horror Show is at The Kings from July 24-29. Go to kingsportsmouth.co.uk.