OLIVER Thornton knows the film version of Rocky Horror Show well. As a schoolboy he watched an illegal video copy of the outrageous musical about transexual aliens, innocent college kids and the need to do the Time Warp again.

“I don’t know how we got hold of a copy.

I’m from a very middle class family and I’m sure they wouldn’t have liked me watching Rocky Horror Show at 15 or 16,” he recalls.

“It was very risque and we watched with fascination on our faces – the fact that people were doing these crazy things in stockings and suspenders.”

These days Thornton is the one dressed in lingerie and high heels as he struts his stuff as the legendary Dr Frank N Furter, who orchestrates the raucous goings-on (and comings-off) in his Gothic mansion.

He’s leading the cast in the 40th anniversary production of Richard O’Brien’s cult favourite which means another stint in stilettos. He spent three years in drag in the London West End production of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert.

When that ended, he vowed his next job wouldn’t involve ladies’ underwear. Then he was offered Frank N Furter, a role to which he couldn’t say no.

He points out the difference between Adam/Felicia in Priscilla and Rocky Horror’s Frank n Furter. Adam was in drag, Frank is definitely a man (a fact his knickers make abundantly clear).

It’s also good to play someone older. He was in his mid-30s pretending to be 18 as Adam. Frank is more mature. Besides he’s also a transexual alien which puts him in a class – and gender – of his own.

“I’ve done my fair share of trousers,” adds Thornton, although he later confesses he’s doing the interview in his pyjamas. The show was in Wimbledon and he lives just round the corner, so was taking advantage of having a lie-in. Hence the nightwear.

Young Oliver watching Rocky Horror on video wasn’t necessarily destined for stockings and suspenders. He could have been wearing tights as classical ballet was an early interest. He might well have been a dancer rather than the actor, singer and dancer he’s become.

“I’m not from a family that stage schooly or anything like that, so I wasn’t pushed into performing,” he explains. “The reality is I probably could have had a career as a ballet dancer. My family were very supportive but there wasn’t that drive from parents to make it into a professional career, so it was all very innocent.

“I was enjoying ballet and in a school where I combined that with my education.

I never sat down and thought I could be the next Nureyev or the next Michael Ball. It was only when I got into drama school it became a reality.”

He got his first job before finishing his training. That was in roller skating musical Starlight Express on tour in the UK and Germany.

Since then he’s been Raoul in The Phantom Of The Opera, Enjolras in Les Miserables, Chicago, Rent and spent three years in Priscilla.

“I’ve been so lucky more than anything.

While it’s a dream to do shows like that it’s very difficult in this profession to achieve that because there’s always new people coming up.

“You might think it’s quite easy to leap from one show to another. It’s increasingly difficult because there’s always better and better turns coming along.”

At least he had an advantage coming to Frank n Furter, having spent so long in women’s clothing in Priscilla. He was used to walking into high heels. “It did help because it wasn’t in any way a shock rehearsing in heels and moving into the costume.

Most people had seen me in something pretty similar.

“It took the pressure off that moment and in performing in those clothes and heels.

Obviously there’s a different feel performing in suspenders and high heels to full drag.”

Less easy was following in the stilettoed footsteps of Tim Curry, the original Frank N Furter and the one with whom most people identify the role.

“There have been so many iconic performances in the role, the main one being Tim Curry. So many people love him. You have to accept people love his performance. It’s quite a job to turn people around and accept mine but amazingly they do,” he says.

“It’s the classic situation where before I started I thought how am I going to do this and make it my own but as soon as you look at the script it’s all there on the page. It’s very well written.”

He’s learnt to accept the interaction with the audience with Rocky Horror followers dressing as characters, shouting out lines and mimicking the characters’ actions.

“They tried to get us used to it in rehearsals with the director shouting out. On opening night we were all a bit ‘rabbit-inthe- headlights’ but you quickly get used to the audience reaction and then slowly addicted to it.

“You miss it when people don’t shout out.

I really like the interaction. When I’ve had friends in who haven’t seen the show they can’t believe it.”

He says creator Richard O’Brien still absolutely loves the show.

“I remember thinking when I got the job surely by now he’s fed up with it. But he’s not, he’s amazing,” says Thornton.

“It’s 40 years old but the reason it’s still successful is because it genuinely is good.”

  • ROCKY HORROR SHOW Sunderland Empire, Feb 18-23. Box office 0844-8713022 and online atgtickets.com/sunderland York Grand Opera House (with Sam Attwater replacing Ben Forster as Brad), April 8-13. Box office 0844-8713024 and online atgtickets.com/york
  • JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR MetroRadio Arena, March 26. Box office 0844 493 6666 and online at metroradioarena.co.uk