He stood there in costume and full make-up, dressed as Riff Raff, behind a pillar and waited for the first laugh.

Then it came – a deep, bellyful type of chuckle that acted as a sigh of relief to Tauranga's Richard O'Brien, as he stood in front of his first preview audience of The Rocky Horror Show.

Richard O'Brien. Photo by Bruce Barnard.

Now, some 40 years on, he's about to do it all again as he returns to the role of the Narrator for the first time in the United Kingdom for more than 20 years.

The creator of the show and former Crystal Maze host will perform in 11 special performances, dusting off the show at London's Playhouse Theatre from September 11-19.

'We've wanted to stream a live show for a very long time now and, as a UK tour is planned to start this Christmas, we saw an opportunity to have a pre-run in London and also stream the show as a fundraiser for Amnesty International,” says Richard.

The show's run, for a little less than 3000 performances, won the 1973 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical and was adapted into the film ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show' in 1975, which supposedly has the longest-running release in film history.

Centuries on and dancers are still choreographing routines to ‘The Time Warp' at Tauranga dance schools.

So what is it about the show that makes its popularity so enduring? 'It is a root fairy tale, funny, energetic, slightly naughty and it rocks,” says Richard.

Richard's played the Narrator in NZ, Australia and now, London, since the original show premiered at The Royal Court Theatre in June 1973.

'I don't attempt to be funny – I try to be the story teller,” says Richard, who brings both gravitas and wit to the character.

The late former Prime Minister Robert Muldoon also attempted the pelvic thrust in his role as the Narrator in 1986.

'I didn't see Bob strut his stuff,” says Richard. 'I'm sure he acquitted himself though. It was Gore Vidal who said: ‘Politics is for people who are too ugly to be in show business'."