Show something different for actor from Transylvania | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

From the Sound of Music to The Rocky Horror Show, Teodor Surcel is getting to know his musicals.

The Romanian-born actor has taken a wide variety of roles since arriving in Christchurch ? everything from Shakespeare to children's shows ? but he admits The Rocky Horror Show, which opens tomorrow at The Court Theatre, "is something very different from what I have ever done before.''

The story of Frank 'N' Furter, Brad and Janet, transvestites and mad science, will be well-known to many theatre-goers through the cult 1970s movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

But Surcel, who plays the role of Riff Raff, only discovered the work in New Zealand relatively recently when he learned he would have a role in the Court's production ? and he now loves it.

He said musicals were not big in Romania before the 1989 revolution, and he has relished the exposure to the genre he has received since coming to Christchurch.

But he says the Court Theatre's production will not simply be a re-hash of the movie, as there would be little point in doing that.

He said the production, directed by Cathy Downes, had a big, theatrical feel to it.

"It is very appealing,'' he said.

The Rocky Horror Show is able to link the story of a lost couple seeking shelter in a strange place on a stormy night to Transylvania, in the style of many a Dracula tale. In a neat co-incidence, Surcel is a real-life Transylvanian in the production, as he comes from that part of Romania.

But he admits to being a little bemused by the West's fascination with the region as a land of castles, danger and vampires, thanks mainly of course to Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

"It is a very light and sunny landscape? not like the land of dark castles and thick forests that Bram Stoker portrays. It is very similar to New Zealand actually.''

However, he is not sure how his relatives back in Romania would react to his latest role and costumes in the high camp tale featuring transvestites and rock and roll.