The iconic smash-hit musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show, as it continues to play its UK tour through 2026 to sell-out crowds for its 52nd year. And thankfully, the musical is also showing at the Edinburgh Playhouse between January 6 and 10, 2026.
The show has been witnessed by over 30 million people across the globe in more than 30 countries, as well as translated into 20 languages. The cast is already on the road, touring the country inside and out. Moreover, if you missed this one, head to the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow between June 8 and 13.
This run will also see Jason Donovan, who plays Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show once again, since his welcome return to the show in 2025 after 25 years. And that’s not all – Secret Edinburgh got some exclusive intel on everything Rocky Horror from our very own Haley Flaherty, who plays Janet in the UK tour.
Haley Flaherty is originally from Falkirk, and is now one of the biggest names in theatre, becoming a bit of a Rocky Horror royalty. On top of playing Janet, Haley has starred as Roxy in ‘Chicago’, Sandy in ‘Grease’ and Miss Honey in ‘Matilda’, just to name a few.
Where did it all start? How did you end up in acting, dancing and singing?
“So, we basically moved house when I was about six, and the girl who lived two doors along from me, who’s still my best friend now, she was doing dance lessons, and she said to my mom, “Please, can she come with me?” […] and I went, and just fell in love with it. I think my first love was probably dance.”
“I went to the Royal Ballet School and thought maybe I’d have a classical career, but as I got older and I used to watch the older kids do contemporary and tap when they were in their fifth year, I remember just feeling more of an urge to… something else in me that I want.”
“And then went to Knightswood in Glasgow, Dance School of Scotland. Weirdly, I wanted to be a dancer or a lawyer. I don’t know where the two worlds ever would meet, but maybe one day I’ll get to play a lawyer in something, and we might go full circle. But yeah, I just feel like we’re the luckiest people in the world.”
Making every show like it’s the first night
Upon reflecting on her career, Haley expressed her gratitude for her work, emphasising the importance of treating each show like it’s the first night. She continued, saying, “I think I’ve always been grateful, but as an older actress now, I feel extremely grateful to still be working. And I never take that for granted. I think I was trained with some really great teachers who gave us this discipline of making every night the first night, and there’s always going to be someone who hasn’t seen the show.”
“So especially when you do something like Rocky, where I’ve returned to it a couple of times, you really have to… You really have to keep your own self-discipline and make sure that you are giving the same show, well, not exactly the same, but the same energy and the same effort and commitment to every show.”
“You know how the show’s going to go, but you don’t really know what you’re going to get thrown back at you every day. And I’d probably even say there are no two shows that have ever been the same because of the audience participation and because of how much other people love it and what we’re going to see when we look out there.”
There are no two shows that are the same at Rocky Horror, with its cult following bringing something fresh every single time.
How many times have you played the role of Janet in the Rocky Horror Picture Show? Plus some top secret intel
When we last spoke to Kristian Lavercombe, who played Riff Raff over 2,000 times at that point in 2023, we had to ask the same question to Haley. She said: “Do you know what? I don’t know, but there is someone who counts. Not our… I don’t think it’s our offices, I think it’s like a fan, a superfan who has counted. Um, I think I might be catching Kristian up.”
“I think I’ve done the show for maybe five or six years, not continuously, but I have done like maybe six contracts on the show. I would hate to add it up.”
“This is top secret info, on the back of the bed that we have in the show, everyone’s drawn pictures and written things and a lot of the time it’s got how many performances people have done.”
What does the show mean to you personally?
“To me, it’s been such a huge part of my career. It’s brought me so many wonderful friends, like those core people in your life that don’t go anywhere. Once you’re part of Rocky, you are part of the Rocky family. I remember there was an Australian production a few years back, and the Janet from Australia messaged me and she was like, “I can’t believe I’m a Janet, I just wanted to say hello.”
“And I think… so personally for me it’s been a lovely, lovely job to have, and I have travelled the world with it, I have met so many amazing people through it.”
“You know, these characters mean so much to these people. Um, and Richard created such a great world to be part of. And I think, yeah, there’s a scary part of it when so many people do love it and it is so important to people. […] it’s just an honour to just make sure you do the fans proud.”
There’s nothing like a Rocky Horror Picture Show audience in Edinburgh on a Friday night
“It’s a strange job in the way of I’ll be listening to what James is saying to me here, but one ear just on the audience in case there’s a shoutout that I should leave a pause for or… did everyone hear that one, was that a really quiet one, should I keep going through? So you are listening the whole time. Yeah, I remember when I did Matilda, we rehearsed for, we were doing relaxed performances for children with autism, children with learning difficulties, who maybe find it hard to sit for that long, still at the theatre.”
“And they tried to train us, they were like, “Look, we’re just going to run the show, and you might hear noises, and we’ll create chaos just so that it’s not a regular quiet audience for you.” And people were like, “Gosh, this is so difficult, I don’t know how we’re going to do it.””
“And I was like, “Oh, it’s quite easy,” and I thought, “It’s because I’ve done Rocky Horror!” I was like, “This is literally like a quiet Tuesday, this is nice!” I was like, “You guys should do a Friday night in Edinburgh or Glasgow, then you’ll see what it’s like to work with a difficult audience!” They do go crazy, don’t they, bless them. You’re just like, “Keep going, what’s my line, what’s my line, keep going.””
The responsibility of fame, when the work is not your own anymore
When asked what interview question Haley would like to be asked more often, the topic of fame came up. She remarked, “A lot of us don’t train to be famous or to be known. You don’t realise when you’re that age, your career isn’t just going to be yours, it’s going to be people who may follow you, and there’s going to be people whose day you’re going to impact, and you don’t know all these things.”
How did it feel when your work became not your own anymore?
“Some days it’s an absolute pleasure and some days, on those days where you maybe, you know, have those days where we’re up or down, where we’ve got a lot on our mind… Some days you would love to just go to work, clock in, do it and clock out.”
“But you have a different responsibility – you can’t come out of the stage door and have your hood up and be like, “No.” So there is a part, and there is an element of having to get used to being available to other people. It’s not a game that you play, but I would say that it is definitely a bit of the industry that you probably are never prepared for until it’s there.”
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is touring the UK until August 1, 2026, and you can find your tickets here.