“The Rocky Horror Show” Returns to Broadway in a Campy, Luke Evans-Led Revival That Plays It Too Safe

The Roundabout Theatre Company's production delivers the surface pleasures of the provocative piece while sanding off the unruly spirit that made it a hit

NEED TO KNOW

• Sam Pinkleton’s revival of Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show opened on Broadway on Thursday, April 23 at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Studio 54 theater
• Luke Evans makes his Broadway debut as Dr. Frank-N-Furter but delivers a performance more playful than provocative
• The rest of the cast — including Juliette Lewis, Stephanie Hsu and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez — delivers standout performances in a visually striking production

There's no denying that Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show remains one of the most gleefully subversive pieces of musical theater ever written: a cult phenomenon built on sex, absurdity and a streak of mischief that makes audiences feel like anything could happen.

That last ingredient is where the Roundabout Theatre Company's new Broadway revival, directed by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!), comes up short.

Opening on Thursday, April 23 at Studio 54 in New York City, this starry production leans fully into the show's campy pleasures, delivering plenty of laughs, strong performances and visual flair. But it rarely taps into the provocative, more unpredictable undercurrent that gives Rocky Horror its countercultural bite. And without that sense of risk, much of the evening feels curiously weightless.

That imbalance is most evident in Luke Evans' turn as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the seductive chaos agent at the center of the show.

The Welsh actor — known for roles in the Fast & Furious franchise, The Hobbit films and as Gaston in the live-action Beauty and the Beast — is clearly having fun here in his Broadway debut, relishing every wink, strut and tossed-off innuendo thrown by the "Sweet Transvestite" alien mad scientist from Transylvania he plays. He prowls the stage with ease in fishnets, heels and a leather corset, luxuriating in Frank's vanity and sexual bravado. Flipping around his long-haired wig, it's clear the action star is accessing parts of his acting range he's never shown off before.

But his Frank feels more playful than destabilizing. He teases and torments Brad (Andrew Durand) and Janet (Stephanie Hsu), but there's little sense they're ever truly in danger. He has Columbia (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez) paralyzed and drugged when she challenges him, but barely reacts when it happens. Even the infamous moment when Frank dispatches Eddie (Harvey Guillén) with a chainsaw lands more like a gag than a shock.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Without that underlying menace, the show's final stretch struggles to land. When Frank is ultimately overthrown and strips away the façade to deliver “I'm Going Home,” the moment loses its tragic revelation. It's showmanship, lacking the real emotional vulnerability that would make it land.

The production's uneasy relationship with audience engagement only deepens that disconnect, especially given how essential that tradition is to Rocky Horror's legacy.

When The Rocky Horror Show began on stage in London in 1973, it was celebrated for its outrageous, irreverent spirit. Two years later, the midnight-movie adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show transformed it into a cultural phenomenon, fueled by raucous responses, scant costumes and a sense of communal anarchy.

The experience wasn't just encouraged. It was the point.

That point has echoed through every incarnation of The Rocky Horror Show since. Past stagings have embraced that interactivity — like the 2000 Broadway revival, which sold participation kits to the audience. But in Pinkleton's show, that energy is noticeably restrained. Fans are encouraged to stay quiet, with signage in the lobby reminding theatergoers this is a live performance, not a film. “Choose your call outs carefully," the show's website even warns.

The change came, Evans explained in a New York Times interview earlier this month, because "hard-core" fans were so disruptive during early previews. “It was like there was a callback every time I took a breath,” he told the outlet. “It just sounds nasty and heckling."

Here's the problem, though. Now, by neither embracing that bedlam nor banning it outright, the action gets stuck in limbo.

Some audience members shout callouts, but not loudly or consistently enough to register, leaving the cast awkwardly straining to acknowledge jokes that barely land. Worse, when narrator Rachel Dratch pauses to ask, “What did you say?” or attempts to repeat a muffled punchline, it feels embarrassingly apologetic rather than playfully interactive.

Instead of communal mayhem, the evening settles into something far less satisfying: a half-participatory experience where no one, onstage or off, seems entirely sure of the rules. Even the fans who arrive in costume appear to be getting only part of the experience, while those who don't dress up are left without a clear way in.

It's almost as if, in trying to tame the show's unruly spirit, Pinkleton's Rocky Horror forgets that it was built to break rules.

Still, there is plenty to enjoy here, starting with a cast brimming with distinct, vibrant interpretations that feel fresh and entirely their own.

All attack the material with full-throttle commitment — especially Juliette Lewis, in a mesmerizing Broadway debut.

The Oscar-nominated screen star steps into the spotlight as a whimsical cinema usher, serenading the crowd with "Science Fiction/Double Feature," and immediately setting the tone for what's to come. From there, she transforms into Magenta with a lived-in rocker energy that's a perfect fit for the character's feral cool. You simply can't take your eyes off her.

If Lewis infuses a magnetic grit, Amber Gray's off-kilter take on Riff Raff only deepens the intrigue. The Tony nominee delivers an eerie, gender-flipped take on Frank-N-Furter's right-hand servant, reimagining the character's sly authority and sharp, compelling edge with an added mischievous wink of unpredictability. Her every moment keeps the audience guessing.

As Columbia, Rodriguez takes big, bold swings, shifting from manic exuberance to bruised vulnerability to feral anger over the course of the night. The Pose star — also making her Broadway debut here — meets every turn with confidence. Most impressively, she locates real ache beneath Columbia's quirky exterior, bringing emotional texture the production doesn't always know how to use.

Hsu shines as Janet, whose trip to the castle inspires a self-discovery journey that evolves from wide-eyed, tightly wound innocence to brash confidence. The production's biggest asset, she has razor-sharp comic timing and knows exactly how to milk Janet's mounting liberation for laughs without losing the character underneath it.

Vocally, the Broadway veteran and Everything Everywhere All at Once Oscar nominee is also among the strongest singers in the company, bringing clarity and force to numbers like "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me." It's the fullest performance of the night.

As Brad, Durand makes an ideal foil to Hsu's Janet. He captures the character's square-jawed earnestness while allowing flashes of panic and confusion to break through at just the right moments. Best of all, the Tony nominee smartly resists overplaying the joke, grounding the part enough that Brad's unraveling becomes funnier.

Elsewhere, Dratch proves a slyly steady hand as the Narrator, the Saturday Night Live star's signature deadpan grounding the production whenever it threatens to spin off course. What We Do in the Shadows standout Guillén (in yet another Broadway debut) brings winning comic spark and spunk to the dual roles of Eddie and Dr. Scott. And Josh Rivera — the final Broadway debut among the principal cast — gamely leans into Rocky's absurd, muscle-bound innocence (while looking very, very different than he did in his on-screen breakout role in Stephen Spielberg's West Side Story).

Even when the production itself loses its grip, the ensemble rarely does.

In the end, Pinkleton's revival delivers much of what audiences might want from The Rocky Horror Show: recognizable stars giving lively performances in a beautifully designed, fantastical world (hat tips to the immersive and clever set by dots, and the colorful costumes by David I. Reynoso). There's certainly enough spectacle and surprises to keep the crowd smiling. It just misses the transgressive thrill that has kept the material alive for generations.

Dammit, Janet.

Tickets to The Rocky Horror Show, which runs through June 21, are now on sale.

Read the full article here