THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 12:00am

So much antici…………………............pation has led to this.

In its second Broadway revival, The Rocky Horror Show time-warps to Studio 54 tomorrow (March 26). The legendary rock-and-roll musical by Richard O’Brien is brought to life by a stacked cast, including Luke Evans, Rachel Dratch, Andrew Durand, Amber Gray, Harvey Guillén, Stephanie Hsu, Juliette Lewis, Josh Rivera, and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez. Ani Taj choreographs and Sam Pinkleton directs; The Rocky Horror Show officially opens on April 23 and runs through June 21.

“The Rocky Horror Show is the story of two squeaky clean college kids — Brad and his fiancée, Janet — on their way to visit their former college professor when by a twist of fate, their car breaks down outside a mansion. They meet the charismatic Dr. Frank-n-Furter, Riff Raff, Columbia, Magenta, Eddie, and Rocky. It is an adventure they would remember, for a very long time.”

Who’s excited, Creatures of the Night?

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 12:45am

Let the **** show begin. In all seriousness I hope it’s everything to everyone. 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 2:03am

It's sure having no problem selling out, or close to, a bunch of shows before it even begins previews ... 

Updated On: 3/25/26 at 02:03 AM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 7:02am

i just want this to extend through November at least. It's such a staple for around Halloween.

Updated On: 3/25/26 at 07:02 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 9:17am

They had an invited dress last night and have another tonight.

Updated On: 3/25/26 at 09:17 AM

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 9:31am

ACL2006 said: "i just want this to extend through November at least. It's such a stable for around Halloween."

I agree... as long as there's no universal blackout of regional and local Rocky productions, the way they did the year of the TV movie remake.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 9:31am

In addition to the prominent queer, nonbinary and trans representation in the cast, there is also an enby music director, "Uncle" Jane Cardona (HEAD OVER HEELS, SIX Boleyn Tour).

They will lead a 5-piece band playing through Kris Kukul's new orchestrations:

• Keyboard
• Drums
• Saxophones
• Guitars
• Bass

Updated On: 3/25/26 at 09:31 AM

[LeftofLinus]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 9:57am

darquegk said: "ACL2006 said: "i just want this to extend through November at least. It's such a stable for around Halloween."

I agree... as long as there's no universal blackout of regional and local Rocky productions, the way they did the year of the TV movie remake."

There is at least for the theater I work for that’s done it for YEARS.  No rights being issued this Fall. 

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 10:15am

I just checked Concord Theatricals and there are more than two dozen productions scheduled from September through November. No blackout whatsoever.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 10:44am

KevinKlawitter said: "I just checked Concord Theatricals and there are more than two dozen productions scheduled from September through November. No blackout whatsoever."

A blackout may occur regionally or be limited to theatres of a certain size. For instance, Bucks County's annual Rocky Horror is notably not on that list. 

[RussT2]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 12:49pm

My gut instinct tells me this show is going to be a dud. I'm a huge RHPS fan since the late1980s. I saw the 2000 Broadway show and it was OK. RHPS is so iconic with songs and characters that I just feel that no matter who plays the roles they will pale in comparison to the people who have been cemented in our psyche as those characters since 1975 (or the cast members from the original UK show from the early 70s. I hope I'm wrong.....

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 3:31pm

Kad said: "They had an invited dress last night and have another tonight."

Friend in the production said it's a snore fest without the callbacks and produces unintentional laughter when everyone knows the obvious ones. They police the silence like they do cellphones. 

I imagine it will be a couple performances before they go back on this.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 3:41pm

ACL2006 said: "i just want this to extend through November at least. It's such a staple for around Halloween."

They only have a two week (unannounced so far) extension on the books - much like, but not the same as, last years' PIRATES!

• First Performance: 3/26/2026
• Opening (approximately): 4/23/2026
• Closing: 7/19/2026
• Possible 2-week extension

Last nights first invited dress was for Roundabout staff.  Tonight is different before it previews tomorrow.

Updated On: 3/26/26 at 03:41 PM

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 3:58pm

blaxx said: "Kad said: "They had an invited dress last night and have another tonight."

Friend in the production said it's a snore fest without the callbacks and produces unintentional laughter when everyone knows the obvious ones. They police the silence like they do cellphones.

I imagine it will be a couple performances before they go back on this."

I was an invited “guest heckler” at a major regional production last October, and the cast of that one said the same thing: when you take away the quasi religious back and forth ritual, the show feels like it’s been cut off at the knees. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 4:08pm

To me that's a sign that they don't understand the material.

[joevitus]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 4:15pm

RussT2 said: "My gut instinct tells me this show is going to be a dud. I'm a huge RHPS fan since the late1980s. I saw the 2000 Broadway show and it was OK. RHPS is so iconic with songs and characters that I just feel that no matter who plays the roles they will pale in comparison to the people who have been cemented in our psyche as those characters since 1975 (or the cast members from the original UK show from the early 70s. I hope I'm wrong....."

I think it is hugely unlikely that this revival will be a dud, but I empathize with your position to the extent that I think the original show was a personal vision the coalesced around a group of like-minded individuals, a vibe which was carried on pretty successfully with the film because so many of the original people were retained (both creatives and performers), and recreating that or creating a new equivalent of that is next to impossible. You almost always end up with a saner, if perhaps slicker and more professional, product.

That said, I think this production seems to be working hard to lean into both a more out-of-the-mainstream approach than I've seen in some time, and that right there may put it on the path to being a very special iteration. We'll just have to wait and see...or in my case, listen. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 4:16pm

I think it's less that they don't understand it, and more the fact that the world Rocky Horror reflected and subverted in 1973 no longer exists. The show's commentary on the transition from the naivite of the 1950s to the jaded cynicism of the 1970s, and the grotesque Americanization of Britain, were a blast to hip 1970s audiences across the UK. The Roxy production was hip, contemporary and funky when rock musicals and sexual transgression still felt naughty.

The production I saw was a 90% replica production to the original, staged based on the copious notes in "Still the Beast is Feeding." It had great moments, but it lacked the searing satirical energy or sexual fire it must have had when it was genuinely new and transgressive.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 5:10pm

darquegk said: "I think it's less that they don't understand it, and more the fact that the world Rocky Horror reflected and subverted in 1973 no longer exists. The show's commentary on the transition from the naivite of the 1950s to the jaded cynicism of the 1970s, and the grotesque Americanization of Britain, were a blast to hip 1970s audiences across the UK. The Roxy production was hip, contemporary and funky when rock musicals and sexual transgression still felt naughty.

The production I saw was a 90% replica production to the original, staged based on the copious notes in "Still the Beast is Feeding." It had great moments, but it lacked the searing satirical energy or sexual fire it must have had when it was genuinely new and transgressive."

I think it's fair to say that it's no longer a transgressive piece. If anything, it relies on nostalgia alone. It's a celebration of times that were, a museum piece, even if it's contemporary art.

Trying to be rebellious or disruptive with it is a huge stretch. Just focus on the celebration of the themes it explored and what it has represented in our culture through the decades.

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 5:17pm

CoffeeBreak said: "ACL2006 said: "i just want this to extend through November at least. It's such a staple for around Halloween."

They only have a two week (unannounced so far) extension on the books - much like last years PIRATES!

Last nights first invited dress was for Roundabout staff. Tonight is different before it previews tomorrow."

Pirates extended 4 weeks, not 2. They went to the end of July 2025, instead of June

[joevitus]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 7:49pm

darquegk said: "I think it's less that they don't understand it, and more the fact that the world Rocky Horror reflected and subverted in 1973 no longer exists. The show's commentary on the transition from the naivite of the 1950s to the jaded cynicism of the 1970s, and the grotesque Americanization of Britain, were a blast to hip 1970s audiences across the UK. The Roxy production was hip, contemporary and funky when rock musicals and sexual transgression still felt naughty.

The production I saw was a 90% replica production to the original, staged based on the copious notes in "Still the Beast is Feeding." It had great moments, but it lacked the searing satirical energy or sexual fire it must have had when it was genuinely new and transgressive."

Do Okalahoma! next. I mean shows date. No, Rocky won't have the same impact in 2026 it had in 1973--but if your performers are saying they're bored waiting for the next laugh line, that demonstrates they either aren't finding enough of the laugh lines or they aren't connecting with the material. 

Updated On: 3/25/26 at 07:49 PM

[DMsquared2]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 8:02pm

I’ll be there Friday night. I’m trying to go in with low expectations but as a big fan of the material I am too friggin’ excited! 

[hak5]

Posted: 3/25/26 at 10:24pm

Can someone post pics of the merch available ?

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 3/26/26 at 12:30am

this show is tracking to be one of the highest grossing shows in Roundabout history

[algy]

Posted: 3/26/26 at 4:59am

It sort of fascinates me how different the Rocky culture is in the US vs the UK (where I am). Here we don't really have the midnight showings of the movie, but we have had touring productions of this show in theatres for decades - it was definitely touring when I was at school in the 90s, I think off the back of the Anthony Stewart Head-as-Frank West End Revival in 90/91. I saw it for the first time with David Bedella as Frank in 2006 (I saw that production a couple of times in various places over the next few years) and went back to see the latest touring incarnation in January as it happened to be in Sheffield the week that I was there for the figure skating and I had a free evening.

In the UK incarnation, there is a lot of heckling and fairly regular call and responses even going as far as people who have been the narrator regularlay having their own ones (eg Show us your big'uns biggins popping up both times I saw Christopher Biggins - in different venues and years!) and a lot of the experience can depend on a) how good your narrator is at handling it and b) how good the ushering team is at evicting trouble makers. In Sheffield they had a stand up comedian as the narrator - who was very good at dealing with unexpected lines and a front of house team who chucked out the two drunk guys dressed as frank who were getting rowdy before we even hit Sweet Transvestite (that's a measure of how bad they were during time warp). I can't get my head around a creative team thinking that no audience participation is a good idea. 

[ChrisTyler1288]

Posted: 3/26/26 at 7:19am

Bucks County announced last year that it was the last time they were annually producing Rocky Horror, so the lack of their production is not surprising