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===Original Melbourne/Adelaide production=== After eighteen-month run in Sydney, Harry M. Miller's production moved to Melbourne, with [[Max Phipps]] taking over the star role. It opened at the [[Regent Theatre, Melbourne|Regent Palace Theatre]] on 24 October 1975 and ran through 19 months and 458 performances, finally closing on 28 May 1977.<ref name="regent">{{Cite web |year=1975 |title=The Rocky Horror Show |url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/67975 |website=Regent Place Theatre}}</ref> The Melbourne production included [[Max Phipps]] - Frank-N-Furter; [[Gregory Apps]] - Brad (later Stephen Clark); Paula Maxwell - Janet (later Shirley-Anne Kear, Diana Greentree); [[Tommy Dysart]] - narrator; Sal Sharah - Riff-Raff; Robyn Moase - Magenta (later Joan Brockenshire); Sue Smithers - Columbia (later Shirley-Anne Kear, Joan Millar); [[Graham Matters]] - Rocky (later Grant Whiteman, Clive Blackie); Terry Bader - Eddie/Dr Scott (later David Cameron, William Gluth).<ref name="Thompson1" /> When Paula Maxwell left, resident stage director, Roland Rocchiccioli, moved Kear (at her request) into the role of Janet, and Joan Miller, who was an understudy, took over from Kear as Columbia. It was in Melbourne, during the Sword of Damocles number, that Grant Whiteman fell while swinging on ladder and being pursued by [[Max Phipps]]. Fortunately, there was a Doctor in the house. Without missing a beat, Rocchiccioli told Clive Blackie to get into the costume: "This is your big chance. You're on!" he said. The show picked up from where Whiteman had fallen and went-on without further hitch. Soon after that Whiteman left, and, to Blackie's surprise, Rocchiccioli put him into the role - without hesitation. He said to him: "You're the understudy. Of course you take over. That's what you're here for!" He proved a very popular Rocky. What he lacked in height he made-up for in muscle. The show then transferred to Adelaide, where it opened on 12 August 1977 at The Warner Theatre. [[Max Phipps]], Diana Greentree, Joan Millar, [[Tommy Dysart]] and Joan Brockenshire went on to reprise their roles from the Melbourne production. Staged by Roland Rocchiccioli, the Adelaide production β which was a transfer of Jim Sharman's original Sydney and Melbourne productions, and adapted for the new theatre, was not a success, and closed after only two months. As Rocchiccioli said on ABC Television in [[Adelaide]], talking with [[Clive Hale]]: "It is the same [[Jim Sharman]] production as Melbourne. It is Brian Thomson's design, except the set has been altered slightly because this is not a television theatre in the last days of its existence!" Rocchiccioli later said he was astonished that it did not work in Adelaide after playing in Melbourne for the two years previous. Some weeks the company did ten performances, so great was the demand for tickets. It would have gone on running - possibly for another year - if [[Max Phipps]] had not decided to leave. He was exhausted. In the final months [[Harry M. Miller]] was selling standing-room at the back of the theatre for up to 50-patrons per performance. After several weeks in Adelaide, [[Jon Finlayson]] replaced [[Max Phipps]] as Frank-N-Furter. Max had come-in to the production at the last moment, after Darrell Hilton and Rocchiccioli agreed on a parting of the ways, just days before the opening night. Other cast members included Tony Preece as Brad; [[Keith Reid]] (who was the Melbourne understudy) as Riff-Raff; Bill Binks as Eddie/Dr. Scott; and [[Shane Bourne]] as Rocky. The Adelaide reviews were savage, and killed the production. Everyone was taken by surprise, including [[Max Phipps]], who was brilliant in the role. Rocchiccioli said at the time: "It's baffling. Nothing has changed from Melbourne, and it's difficult to know why they hate it so much". It is the only time the Rocky Horror Show has not been critically applauded in Australia.<ref name="Thompson1">{{Cite book |last=Thompson |first=Dave |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qx6GDAAAQBAJ |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Campy Cult Classic |publisher=Applause Theatre & Cinema Books |year=2016|isbn=9781495063770 }}</ref><ref>Adelaide Programme 1977.</ref> The show closed after two months, after running from 12 August to October 1977.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Adelaide Cast 1977 | website=Rocky Horror Australia | url=http://www.ozrockyhorror.com/Adelaide%201977.html | access-date=11 January 2023}}</ref>
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