Fifty years ago The Rocky Horror Show, one of the most successful musicals ever written, took to the stage and has played almost continuously since then to a claimed 30 million people in 30 countries and even more when you take the movie version into account.
Now its creator, Richard O’Brien, has produced a new play for the times.
![The Kingdom of Bling is a satirical fairytale says Richard O'Brien. Photo / Jason Oxenham](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/LP6T3DGZ6REFDBLAUD3PD7XYBA.jpg?auth=68f665692e97d6b36bb9886e7dce5d24eb7b54eb86329cbd5e45e73f4bf66b59&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Whereas the Rocky Horror Show reflected the gender-bending, glam-rock era of the early ‘70s, his new work, Kingdom of Bling, is a reaction to the divisive, conspiracy-fuelled, polarised politics of today.
“The Kingdom of Bling is a satirical fairy tale,” O’Brien said at the nationwide launch for the musical in Auckland. “I was driven to write it by the dreadfulness of Donald Trump’s presence in the world.