Katikati's Richard O'Brien celebrates third unveiling of RiffRaff statue in Hamilton

Hamilton was awash with Rocky Horror magic on Valentine's Day as Katikati resident and Rocky Horror Picture Show creator Richard O'Brien arrived by vintage limousine for the third unveiling of the iconic RiffRaff statue. The 83-year-old stepped onto the red carpet outside Hamilton's newly opened BNZ Theatre, with hundreds of fans and Hamilton Mayor Tim Macindoe on hand for the occasion. Auckland's Hot and Flustered Rocky Horror shadow cast formed a glittering guard of honour.

O'Brien, who requested The Beatles' All You Need Is Love as the theme for the night, said he remained astonished that the show was still being celebrated more than 50 years on. He described what moved him most was how Rocky Horror had evolved into a "rainbow community event" built on inclusion and kindness, welcoming to everyone. The crowd, he said, was "delightful".

The RiffRaff statue was first unveiled at Embassy Park on Victoria Street in 2004 — near the site where O'Brien once worked as a barber in the early 1960s, often slipping next door to the Embassy Theatre for late-night double features that would later shape his creative vision. The statue has been relocated twice since, spending time outside the Waikato Museum, before spending roughly 18 months in storage ahead of this latest unveiling at the new theatre site.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).