THERE could hardly be a better time for Michael Scott's revival of The Rocky Horror Show, the pioneering: Seventies musical about a nerdy couple caught in the lair of some extraterrestrial bisexuals which poses crucial questions about sex and gender, like "Do men look good in stockings and suspenders?"

Scott's enticing staging, at 10.30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, plays the show in the round, opening with a loose cabaret section and then sending his glitter and fishnet adorned cast dancing over the entire auditorium. As well as filling the stage, Scott uses raised platforms and scaffolding ganlries, and he enlists' multiple video monitors and radio microphones to keep in contact with all sections of the dispersed audience.

Since audience participation has become easily the most significant aspect of screenings of the film version of the musical, the approach makes sense. In the cinema, however, the clearly defined gap between performers and audience means that the crowd requires no managing. In the flesh, a rowdy, "up for it" crowd - obviously having a great time - singing, dancing and heckling along, can be hard work.

The show requires B movie acting, full of nervous, lost moments. However, it also demands an unflappable, almost stupid self confidence, and this is something Scott's production is short on. As a plethora of technical problems cropped up, and members of the audience began to participate at the tops of their voices, some of the cast were clearly having difficulty finding the recklessness, required to enjoy the experience.

Aidan Conway, as Frank N. Furter, jousted heroically with the hecklers, but needed even more insouciant abandon. Peter Vollebregt impressed as much for the way in which he overcame adversity as for his comically oaky caricature, Brad, while Andre Edmonds, as Columbia, danced magically over every obstacle.