“The Rocky Horror Show” review: Luke Evans was born to wear fishnets
“The Rocky Horror Show” review: Luke Evans was born to wear fishnets
Dalton RossFri, April 24, 2026 at 1:30 AM UTC
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Luke Evans as Frank-N-Furter in 'The Rocky Horror Show'Credit: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times/Redux
I was one of those kids. At 15 years old, I was sneaking out of my Washington D.C. home just before midnight to go to Georgetown screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I yelled things at the movie screen. I did the Time Warp in the aisle. I had the movie poster on my bedroom wall and once semi-stalked poor Tim Curry at a D.C. event for a completely different project to have him sign my vinyl copy of the RHPS soundtrack.
I bring all of this up because your enjoyment of The Rocky Horror Show revival — opening tonight at Studio 54 — may depend greatly on your own history you bring into the theater with you. If you’re expecting a night out on Broadway with impeccable singing and world-class dancing, this is most likely not the show for you. (Ragtime and Schmigadoon! can satisfy those cravings.) However, if you want to give yourself over to absolute pleasure and swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh, then you’ve come to the right (Frankenstein) place.
It was 50 years ago (April 1, 1976, to be exact) when The Rocky Horror Picture Show had its first ever midnight screening in New York City — a move that rescued both the camptastic film and stage show that preceded it from history’s coffin after the movie originally tanked and the Broadway production closed after just 45 performances.
Juliette Lewis (Magenta) in 'The Rocky Horror Show'Credit: Joan Marcus
Instead, the tale of sexually-repressed engaged couple Brad Majors… (pausing now so you can yell something should the mood strike)… and Janet Weiss… (pausing again)… encountering a freaky group of aliens of Transexual Transylvanians led by the enigmatic, garter-belt wearing scientist Frank-N-Furter became an international midnight-screening sensation. Audiences would yell out (often graphic and sexually tinged) comments back at the characters. People would toss rice and toast and playing cards at the screen. Shadow casts would dress up and act out the entire movie in front of the film already playing,` because why watch two characters having elbow sex when you can watch four?
It’s all quite ridiculous, and intentionally so. But could the new Rocky Horror (directed by Oh Mary! Tony winner Sam Pinkleton) capture that energy from the midnight screenings and bring it back to the stage? The answer is mostly yes.
The production struggled during previews with somewhat vague and contradictory messaging regarding audience participation while trying to manage the cross-pollination between hardcore RHPS fans, traditional theater goers, and actors trying to figure out when to move on to the next line and how to handle interruptions from the crowd. A prominently placed sign in the lobby notes: “It’s live theater, not a movie, so listen closely, keep control, and enjoy the show.”
Amber Gray (Riff Raff), Juliette Lewis (Magenta), Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Columbia), Andrew Durand (Brad) in 'The Rocky Horror Show'Credit: Joan Marcus
At the performance I attended, the audience callouts were far from overwhelming. Everyone seemed to get the hint and reserved their vocal chords for only the most prominent moments. As the Narrator, Rachel Dratch picked her spots to respond to zealous patrons, while other actors would occasionally look to the room in clearly choreographed pauses waiting for the big line they knew was coming from a crowd clearly shivering in antici……… pation. (The audience all laughed when a lone voice answered the Narrator’s question of “What further indignities were they to be subjected to?” with a cry of “Shock Treatment!” (the name of Rocky Horror Show creator Richard O’Brien’s ill-fated sequel).
By opening night, the production seemed settled into a comfortable space that both fans, virgins (the term for Rocky Horror first-timers), and cast could all enjoy. And there certainly are things to enjoy, chief among them a commanding performance by Luke Evans as the enigmatic Frank-N-Furter. You simply can’t take your eyes off of him, and that’s not just because Evans looks spectacular strutting around the stage to “Sweet Transvestite” in fishnets, a codpiece, and barely covered derriere. (Costume designer David I. Reynoso also wows by throwing the actor into a fabulous white vinyl naughty nurse-meets-dominatrix outfit for the laboratory scene in which Frank’s creation of Rocky is born.)
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Luke Evans (Frank-N-Furter), Josh Rivera (Rocky) in 'The Rocky Horror Show'Credit: Joan Marcus
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It’s a tricky spot taking on such an iconic role originally played to perfection by Curry, but this is no mere shadow cast performance. Evans manages to capture the character’s scintillating combination of dangerous sexuality and emotional vulnerability, all while adding his own devilish spin. He also delivers a fresh interpretation courtesy of vocal deliveries that zig where Curry zagged, without sapping any power from the original songs that fans know and love. His tender yet powerful take on “I’m Going Home” (the emotional heart of the show) is a triumph.
Rocky Horror also pulls out the aces (see what I did there?) with Stephanie Hsu and Andrew Durand, who are flawless as the suddenly titillated Janet and Brad. Both show off their comedic chops in the bedroom seduction scenes — physically conveying their bodies telling them one thing while their minds tell them another. Hsu, in particular, appears to be having an absolute blast in the role while shrieking throughout in both horror and delight.
Juliette Lewis (Magenta), Andrew Durand (Brad), Stephanie Hsu (Janet), Amber Gray (Riff Raff) in 'The Rocky Horror Show'Credit: Joan Marcus
That sense of fun is what permeates the production, even in some of its shakier moments. The scenic design (by a collective known as dots) clearly attempts to mirror the film’s cheap, cheesy vibe. Sometimes it works to humorous effect, like with Frank’s big TV screen monitor just being a curtain with actors standing behind it, or a Spinal Tap Stonehenge-esque model of the castle flying away back to Transylvania. But I was definitely hoping for a grander and freakier castle interior for the “Time Warp” than what was essentially just a staircase with a leopard print rug and a bunch of candles strewn about.
It’s appropriate that Rocky Horror — conceived as a stage homage to B-movie absurdity — would end up becoming the most famous B-movie in history. And the fact that the original film is celebrated for being so intentionally rough around the edges also makes the flaws in this new production more forgivable.
Stephanie Hsu (Janet), Harvey Guillén (Eddie/Dr. Scott) in 'The Rocky Horror Show'Credit: Joan Marcus
Does Juliette Lewis (as Magenta) open the show with the most stunning rendition of “Science Fiction/Double Feature”? Not exactly. Would it be preferable if the person playing Columbia (Michaela Jaé Rodriquez) actually knew how to tap dance for the character’s big “Time Warp” number so a somewhat awkward workaround was not required instead? Absolutely. And is Harvey Guillén matching the unfiltered bombast and animal magnetism of Meat Loaf while crooning “Hot Patootie”? Perhaps not.
But they all — along with the always reliable Amber Gray (who naturally holds her own as put-upon butler Riff Raff), and Josh Rivera (who capably portrays hunky Rocky) — never appear as anything other than fully committed to the bit. And as any true fan will tell you, Rocky Horror has always been about commitment. Commitment and the freedom to step outside any well-established comfort zones to follow one’s true passion. In that sense, these wild and untamed things can all be applauded for following the show’s ultimate mantra for both performers and fans alike: Don’t dream it. Be it. Grade: B+
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
