Luke Perry, best known for portraying the occasionally alcoholic bad boy Dylan on "Beverly Hills, 90210," must be mighty convincing as the straight-laced Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Show. He's extending an extra week in the role, playing through Aug. 5 in the campy cult revival. Perry replaced original cast member Jarrod Emick, who will now return Aug. 7.
Perry's latest TV gig has been playing the embezzling inmate Jeremian Cloutier on "Oz." Film credits include "The 5th Element" and "8 Seconds."
Perry is the newest addition to the uniquely-cast Rocky Horror. Rocker Joan Jett, exiting the Tony-nominated musical revival in huff May 22, was replaced as super groupie Columbia by "Saturday Night Live" star Ana Gasteyer June 10 (Jett's understudy Kristen Lee Kelly took the role while Gasteyer learned the part).
Gasteyer is recognizable by her various comic creations on NBC's long running world-famous late night sketch show. Among her characters are middle school teacher Bobbi Moughan-Cup, "Delicious Dish" hostess Margaret Jo, Jonette of the fictional pop group Gemini's Twin, and impressions of Martha Stewart and Celine Dion. Her theatre background includes The Real Live Brady Bunch, The Vagina Monologues and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci.
Jordan Roth's revival of Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show opened Nov. 15 at Circle in the Square. The show started previews Oct. 20, 2000. The cult musical features an eclectic cast, including Dick Cavett (Into the Woods, Otherwise Engaged, television's "The Dick Cavett Show"), Lea DeLaria (On the Town, Chicago, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, "The First Wives Club"), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent, Two Sisters and a Piano, Flawless ), Alice Ripley (Side Show, James Joyce's The Dead, King David, Les Miz, Sunset Boulevard) and Tom Hewitt (The Lion King, Art School for Scandal, The Sisters Rosensweig, Jeffrey).
Director Christopher Ashley (Drama Dept.'s Communicating Doors, As Thousands Cheer and Claudia Shear's Blown Sideways Through Life at the New York Theatre Workshop) helms the show. Producer Jordan Roth is the son of producer Daryl Roth (Wit, Three Tall Women and The Bomb-itty of Errors) and himself the producer of the Off-Broadway hit, The Donkey Show.
Over the years, the stage and film versions of the show have engendered a strong fan base, which has been described as a cult following.
The stage version of the show ran on Broadway for about one month in 1975. The film version, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," was also released in 1975 and was directed by Jim Sharman. The film featured many members of the Broadway cast and starred Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien, Jonathan Adams, Meatloaf, Little Nell (Campbell), Charles Gray and Patricia Quinn.
Tickets are $20-$85. Circle in the Square is located at 1633 Broadway, on W. 50 St. For tickets call Tele-Charge at (212) 239-6200.
