The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British stage musical opening in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien and developed by O'Brien in collaboration with Australian theater director Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals".[_x000D_The play was adapted as the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show._x000D_
Jim Sharman's success with the original Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar led to an invitation to direct the first London stage production and it was during the London run of Superstar that he met Richard O'Brien who had played Herod for just one performance. O'Brien wished to play Herod as Elvis but quit Superstar when the producers asked him to tap-dance. While unemployed O'Brien worked on a new rock musical with a rough-draft title of "Rock Horroar."
While working together at the Royal Court's Theatre Upstairs on a production of Sam Shepard's The Unseen Hand O'Brien played Sharman some of the songs he had written and they began to flesh out the concept for the show. Sharman brought in fellow Australians Nell Campbell a.k.a. 'Little Nell' and longtime production designer Brian Thomson who had designed his productions of Hair and Superstar. Costume designer Sue Blane and musical director Richard Hartley rounded out the original creative team.
The musical went into rehearsals with the working title "They Came from Denton High" which was changed just before previews at Sharman's suggestion to The Rocky Horror Show.
