The Rocky Horror Show Begins Performances on Broadway March 26

Hot patootie, bless our souls! A new Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show begins performances at Studio 54 March 26, a production of Roundabout Theatre Company.

This revival of the cult classic musical stars Luke Evans (Gaston in the 2017 Beauty and the Beast film) in the iconic role of Frank-N-Furter, under the watchful eye of director Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!).

They are joined by Rachel Dratch (POTUS, SNL) as the Narrator, Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw) as Brad, Amber Gray (Eureka Day, Hadestown) as Riff Raff, Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows) as Eddie/Dr. Scott, Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once, SpongeBob SquarePants) as Janet, Juliette Lewis (Yellowjackets, Cape Fear) as Magenta, Josh Rivera (American Sports Story, West Side Story) as Rocky, and Golden Globe winner Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Loot, Pose, Rent) as Columbia.

READ: Richard O'Brien on 50 Years of The Rocky Horror Show and Its Impact on the Queer Community

The cast also features Renée Albulario, Anania, Boy Radio, Caleb Quezon, Andres Quintero, Larkin Reilly, Paul Soileau, and John Yi.

The Richard O'Brien musical will officially open April 23, for a limited engagement through June 21.

Said Tony-winning director Pinkleton in a previous statement: “I'm giddy to crack this untamable classic open with the razor-sharp Luke Evans at the center. And I hope to do at Studio 54 what The Rocky Horror Show has done for people around the world for decades—open a dimension to another possible reality. It seriously is the honor of a lifetime to bring the freakiest people I've ever met into the freakiest theatre I've ever been in to revisit the freakiest show there's ever been. No pressure, of course. Rocky Horror is, to me, a sublime, ridiculous, giant-hearted act of love—a trashy little musical that means so many things to generations of tender weirdos with mascara streaming down their faces. I hope we can make something joyous, unfathomable, straight from outer space and I can't wait to welcome, really WELCOME you into the slimy tentacles of Studio 54.”

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This staging features choreography by Ani Taj (Dead Outlaw), music direction and orchestrations by Kris Kukul (Beetlejuice), set design by Tony Award nominee dots (Oh, Mary!), costume design by David I. Reynoso (Water for Elephants), lighting design by Tony winner Jane Cox (Appropriate), sound design by Tony winner Brian Ronan (Beautiful), and hair and wig design by Alberto “Albee” Alvarado (The Outsiders), and make-up design by Sterling Tull (No Glow, Love Island USA), with Bryan Bauer (Oh, Mary!, Mother Play) as the production stage manager.

The Rocky Horror Show first premiered in London at the Royal Court Theatre (Upstairs) June 19, 1973. It moved to several other locations, ultimately running for a cumulative 2,960 performances before it closed in 1980. The musical follows a straight-laced couple, Brad and Janet, who stumble upon a spooky house on a rainy night, and become attracted to the strange denizens who live within—particularly Frank-N-Furter, a gender non-conforming mad scientist. The show's rock-influenced score includes the crowd-pleasing songs "Sweet Transvestite, "The Timewarp," “Dammit Janet,” and “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a Touch Me."

After London, Rocky Horror played in Los Angeles in 1974, where it ran for nine months. Its 1975 Broadway debut was not as successful, receiving mixed reviews and running for only three previews and 45 showings.

But it was the film adaptation of Rocky Horror, called The Rocky Horror Picture Show, that truly propelled the musical into legendary status. Starring creator O'Brien as Riff Raff and Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter (reprising his stage performance), as well as Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick, the film has been playing in movie theatres since 1975, with fans attracted to its message of sexual and gender acceptance. The property's cultural impact was recently explored in the new documentary Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror, created by Richard O'Brien's son, Linus.

The Rocky Horror Show had a Broadway revival in 2000 and a West End revival in 2023. It's also a favorite of regional theatres. The production estimates that the stage version has been seen by over 40 million people in some 15 languages.

Visit RoundaboutTheatre.org.