Milton Keynes Theatre is used to its audiences dressing up for performances, but this week ticket-holders are letting it all hang out.
And heckling and sexual innuendo? It's rampant.
Sales of stockings in the shopping centre across the road must be on the up and up too.
The Rocky Horror Show is back, and so too are its fervent fans, writes Sammy Jones.
“That's the nice thing about this show,” says Ben Adams, who plays Brad in the production, “It has such a strong following that people come along and dress up as the characters, and they know all the words....
“But it's frightening as well,” says Dom Joly, who has taken the role of Narrator in the Richard O' Brien classic, “The audience know the show better than we do!”
Joanne Clifton found her feet as the Strictly-pro who danced Ore Oduba to glitterball success.
She has since carved out a clever on-stage career, and excels as Brad's Janet in Rocky Horror.
“The director, Chris Luscombe drilled it into us that even if we add words, like an 'and' or a 'so' the audience will pick up on it,” she smiles.
Audience participation is a huge part of the show, but there are some who manage to get a little bit too loose with their tongues.
“If you give people rules that's not really Rocky," Dom says, "The whole point of Rocky is be yourself, be a freak. So you know what, just do what you want and I'll deal with you."
The hardcore fanbase has been spilling over with good words about this particular production.
“The people that are the hardest to impress, are the Rocky Horror die-hard fans. They came out in force when we were in Brighton, and unanimously all said this is the best Rocky cast they'd ever seen...” Ben said.
Dom: “The head of the fan club told us that!”
For Dom, the prospect of donning stockings and suspenders was no big deal (“I was a goth for six years, so I've got a long history in guyliner and ladies clothing, it's not a problem for me”) and the lure of something instant was too good to resist: “All my stuff has been telly and I never do live stuff, so there was quite a rush about doing something live.
"The role is perfect for me - it's about ad-libbing and I have to react.
“People think Trigger Happy and stuff like that is written, but it can't be, because I don't know what people are going to say. I love that thrill of trying to make stuff up as it goes along....”
He looks right to his colleagues sat next to him on the sofa: “...And obviously the chance to work with these two – I've been a massive A1 fan all my life, and I never ever miss Strictly, so it's a real privilege for me,” he says with a cheeky affection, as Joanna throws a hearty laugh.
And there is a lot of laughter during their chat with Total MK.
Joanne: “He'll be on Strictly soon...'
Dom: “I will not be on Strictly. F**k that!”
Cue more laughter.
Dom sounds like he has project after another on the go; He has just written a sitcom, new Trigger Happy TV is now available Stateside, and a book will hit the racks in May.
“It's called The Hezzbollah Hiking Club,” he explains, “I've just walked from the Israeli border to the Syrian border across Lebanon.
“That's what I'm touring next, and I've got a Podcast out called Earworm which is weird prank calls around the world, soundtracked by my favourite musician, Babybird.”
Dom is acutely aware of the public's changing appetite for the ways in which they devour their comedy.
“I just think telly is dead, that's the problem with comedy at the moment. In the old days you'd make six 30 minute shows. That doesn't happen anymore. When we made the new Trigger Happy, I was thinking 'How would my kids watch Trigger Happy now?' There's no way they would sit and watch Channel 4 on a Friday night.
“So we just did it in bitesize eight minute shows. Comedy has changed totally, and you've got to adapt to that.”
Joanne and Ben are a pretty prolific pairing themselves. Before Rocky Horror they spent 16 months touring together in Flashdance, and filled their days off working on a new musical, Bloody Nora.
“It's about a serial killer from Grimsby...”
Joanne jumps in: “It's not based on me!”
The duo have yet to decide whether they will star in the work, but they've given themselves the option: “We were conscious to write parts so that we could if we wanted to,” Ben says.
“The great thing with having such an amazing cast in Rocky Horror is that we can actually use them for our own workshops...”
Not that Dom has been partaking in those – he 's far too busy racing around town with his own plans.
Milton Keynes is 'like an airport with roundabouts,' he thinks, and he's exploring the entertainment beyond the cracks in the new city concrete.
“I'm an urban explorer, and determined to find the secret Milton Keynes. One of our directors used to live here and said there is a really good music scene in Stony Stratford.
“I went for a walk around Willen Lake today too.
“These two don't bother,” he says nodding in the direction of Ben and Joanne, “They just sit and write their musicals.
“I want to visit Bletchley Park, the skydiving and the indoor skiing. I'm going to do the whole lot.
“I don't muck about, and let's face it – I've been in Sunderland for a week, so I need something to do!”
And super-svelte Joanne has teamed up with her Strictly-pro brother Kevin to launch an online dance school too: “Instead of going to a class you can watch and learn it at home in your own living room.” If anyone can teach us the art of dance, it's this Strictly winning pair.
Presumably, before you get to the waltz, cha cha, salsa or rumba though, you take a jump to the left and then a step to the right, with your hands on your hips, you bring your knees in tight...
The Rocky Horror Show continues at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, February 9.
To book tickets click here
Find out more:
Dom Joly's new book, The Hezbollah Hiking Club will be released on May 26 through Little Brown
The Clifton Dance Academy:
www.cliftondanceacademy.online
For Bloody Nora updates follow @BloodyNoraShow on Twitter
Interview: @sammyjonespress
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