THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#1
Posted: 4/23/26 at 6:53pm
The classic cult musical returns to Broadway under the direction of Tony winner Sam Pinkleton.
Let's do the time warp again, and post those reviews here!
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#2
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:24pm
I’m predicting across the board raves for Evans and strong notices for Hsu, but I feel like the rest of it - from casting and direction to the production elements, will be met with a range from shrugging indifference to bafflement, especially given the preview struggles
CATS kinda wrapped up the race with 10s across the board raves, so wherever this ultimately lands isn’t going to matter since they’ve already shown that there is a mint to be made by Roundabout
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#3
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:28pm
I think it’ll get pretty mixed reviews. Luke Evans is genuinely a bit of a revelation in this, and Amber Gray is menacing and bizarre in all the right ways, but I found almost everything else about it a little community theatre. And not really in a way I think they intended. (Oh, how I wish Harvey Guillen were replaced by a drag king.)
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#4
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:30pm
4 stars from TimeOut
Broadway review: The Rocky Horror Show is deliciously warped and timely
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/broadway-review-the-rocky-horror-show-is-deliciously-warped-and-timely-042426
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#5
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:30pm
Feldman at TIME OUT NY
Rating: ★★★★ (four stars)
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/broadway-review-the-rocky-horror-show-is-deliciously-warped-and-timely-042426#:~:text=It's%20been%20a%20sparse%20Broadway,Brian%20Ronan's%20are%20also%20distinguished.)
“Through Frank, O’Brien has created a safe zone for oddballs: a sexual dreamland of default pansexuality where deviance is the norm. No wonder the show and the movie have attracted such passionate fans: Rocky Horror, not despite its goofiness but because of it, represents. And although he is eventually punished, in keeping with B movie conventions—“Society must be protected”—there’s a sense in which Frank wins: in the ongoing legacy of this musical to weirdos everywhere. In tempestuous times like ours, it holds out the hope of a liberating light, not too far away.
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#6
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:30pm
NY Stage Review
The Rocky Horror Show: Let’s Not (Do The Time Warp Again), And Say We Did
By Bob Verini
★★☆☆☆ Overproduced, underconceived, superfluous revival of a property long past its sell-by date
https://nystagereview.com/2026/04/23/the-rocky-horror-show-lets-not-do-the-time-warp-again-and-say-we-did/
The Rocky Horror Show: Roundabout Rolls Out a Not So Hot Patootie
By Michael Sommers
★★☆☆☆ Luke Evans, Juliette Lewis and Rachel Dratch appear amid a conventional revival of an unconventional musical
https://nystagereview.com/2026/04/23/the-rocky-horror-show-roundabout-rolls-out-a-not-so-hot-patootie/
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#8
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:32pm
NYT Critic's Pick from Shaw
Review: ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ Rewards Your Sense of Antici…pation
Sam Pinkleton’s new revival at Studio 54 gives us the big gay mayhem we want while also maintaining some order via Rachel Dratch’s droll Narrator.
"So, damn it, Janet, I’m glad that the show hasn’t entirely worked out how to do deal with the audience. The show can’t just be a sacred relic — it needs a bit of destabilizing, a tussle between the stage and the seats. Roundabout’s professionalism and coy signage can’t entirely keep the fans in check, which gives the revival itself a sense that it might spin off its axis. What will it be like the night you go? Dratch will probably say something hysterically quelling; Evans will probably knock your stockings off. But who can say? The point of “Rocky Horror” is to lose control. C’mon, let’s do it again."
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#9
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:33pm
Mandell at New York Theatre is mixed
“
“The Rocky Horror Show,” opening tonight at Studio 54, is the latest in a quartet of campy Broadway musicals this month that seem as much acts of resistance against a retrogressively anti-queer world as an escape from it.* It is also an act of nostalgia for the many of us who, sometime over the past half century, experienced this playfully transgressive mashup of B-movie pastiche, glam rock concert and punk/porn party. It’s that very nostalgia that (perhaps unavoidably) undermines this second Broadway revival. The cast is stellar and the staging is inventive, but the production just doesn’t measure up to the original.”
“https://newyorktheater.me/2026/04/23/the-rocky-horror-show-broadway-review/
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#10
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:34pm
Three stars from The Guardian
The Rocky Horror Show review – campy musical returns to Broadway in need of an energy boost
Studio 54, New York
The 1973 cult favorite is back with a stacked cast, including Juliette Lewis, Luke Evans and Rachel Dratch, but only flashes of genuine fun
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/apr/23/the-rocky-horror-show-review-broadway
"The crispness that Pinkleton brought to Oh, Mary! is not present here; there is more of what feels like aimless shuffling around the stage than should be encountered during a costly night (or afternoon) at the theater. A shadow cast acting out the movie during an umpteenth midnight screening? Sure, they’re allowed to be a little listless. But one would certainly prefer that a professional version of Rocky Horror be tighter, more relentlessly in pursuit of our attention.
One increasingly misses the assuredness of the film, as Pinkleton’s staging tilts ever more into blurry abstraction. There are, to be fair, scattered highlights that briefly snap things back into focus. Evans, in the appropriate heels and bustier but saddled with a strangely limp and wet-looking wig, is unsteady with Frank-n-Furter’s dialogue; he appears a tad self-conscious, unwilling to commit to the character’s high melodrama. But he comes alive in his songs, especially when he lets his rich, Elton John-ian tenor reach full blare in I’m Going Home, the prettiest of several pretty songs on the setlist."
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#11
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:35pm
2 1/2 stars from NYP
‘The Rocky Horror Show’ review: Broadway show’s got killer performances, but, dammit Janet, make it more fun
https://nypost.com/2026/04/23/entertainment/the-rocky-horror-show-review-broadway-shows-got-killer-performances-but-dammit-janet-make-it-more-fun/
"there’s much to like, even adore, in Pinkleton’s revival — from its Fritz Lang-y metallic manikins to a dark and seductive castle set that feels ripped from a Jim Steinman music video to two knockout performances from Luke Evans as Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Hsu as Janet. Yet when the plot practically disappears midway through Act 2, and the crowd’s lips are zipped, you just crave something more, more, more."
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#13
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:37pm
Theatrely
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW Is a Burst of Vibrant Queer Joy — Review
https://www.theatrely.com/post/the-rocky-horror-show-is-a-burst-of-vibrant-queer-joy-review
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#14
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:38pm
Deadline
‘The Rocky Horror Show’ Broadway Review: A Much Needed Time Warp With Luke Evans & Rachel Dratch In Vivacious Revival
https://deadline.com/2026/04/rocky-horror-show-broadway-review-1236867882/
"With immensely appealing performances from Luke Evans (yes, he most certainly can sing) as the sinister Frank-N-Furter, Rachel Dratch as the droll narrator quick with the audience repartee, the always excellent Andrew Durand as uptight (until he’s not) Brad and Stephanie Hsu as timid (until she’s not) Janet, this Roundabout-produced Rocky Horror revival is a first-rate presentation of a property that, along with John Waters’ early work, pretty much defined a certain strain of ’70s counter-culture fare."
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#15
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:39pm
I haven't seen a review from People magazine before.
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
https://people.com/the-rocky-horror-show-broadway-review-11954611
"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."
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#16
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:40pm
AMNY
Review | ‘Rocky Horror’ time-warps into Studio 54’s ’70s excess
https://www.amny.com/entertainment/review-rocky-horror-time-warps-studio-54s/
"This “Rocky Horror” is not without flaws, but it hardly matters. The style carries you along, and the energy rarely falters. For nearly two hours, it delivers what it promises: a weird, exuberant, and thoroughly enjoyable night out. Participation optional, temptation unavoidable."
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#17
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:42pm
B+ from Entertainment Weekly
The Rocky Horror Show review: Luke Evans was born to wear fishnets
The midnight cult movie makes its way back to the stage.
https://ew.com/the-rocky-horror-show-review-luke-evans-born-to-wear-fishnets-on-broadway-11956084
"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."
Broadway Star Joined: 1/28/04
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#18
Posted: 4/23/26 at 9:54pm
"Lots of invention, but perhaps tries too hard"
https://w42st.com/post/michael-musto-reviews-titanique-smigadoon-rocky-horror-show/
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#19
Posted: 4/23/26 at 10:15pm
‘The Rocky Horror Show’ Rewards Your Sense of Antici…pation
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/theater/rocky-horror-show-review.html?unlocked_article_code=1.dVA.tUEu.DUecRJ__SmYn&smid=nytcore-android-share
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#20
Posted: 4/23/26 at 10:47pm
DTLI Consensus: Luke Evans stuns in this remount of the queer cult classic, but where did most of its energy and participation go?
8 mixed, 7 positive (including the NYT), 2 negative.
https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/the-rocky-horror-show/
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#21
Posted: 4/23/26 at 10:58pm
For the amount of talent on that stage, these are lackluster reviews. I think the direction was a big miss.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/05
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#22
Posted: 4/23/26 at 11:14pm
Bettyboy72 said: "For the amount of talent on that stage, these are lackluster reviews. I think the direction was a big miss."
And considering the last revival was pitch perfect. So sad to wait decades for this :(
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#23
Posted: 4/23/26 at 11:22pm
With reviews for Lost Boys and Joe Turner yet to come, the NYT has so far given SEVENTEEN critic's picks to this Broadway season. Even including Banana, Rob Lake, and Beetlejuice, that's over HALF of their reviews for this season so far. Yikes!
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/30/17
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#24
Posted: 4/23/26 at 11:53pm
BWW - 66.3 % THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews
BWW review analysis percentages:
NEW MUSICAL - 6 : Titanique (74.8, Schmigadoon! (74.2), Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) (73.5), The Queen of Versailles (40.0). Beaches (36.2)
MUSICAL REVIVAL - 5 : Cats - The Jellicle Ball (90.0), Ragtime (82.4), Mamma Mia! (68.0), The Rocky Horror Show (66.3), Chess (62.8
NEW PLAY - 8 : Little Bear Ridge Road (90.0), Liberation (89.3), The Ballusters (80.9), Giant (77.2), Punch (71.9), Call Me Izzy (65.0), Fear of 13 (58.4), Dog Day Afternoon (51.3).
REVIVAL OF A PLAY - 11 : Becky Shaw (84.7), Marjorie Prime (84.7), Oedipus (84.3), Death Of A Salesman (84.1), Bug (80.6), Every Brilliant Thing (79.1), Fallen Angels (75.3), Proof (71.3), Art (69.0), Waiting For Godot (67.4).
* UPCOMING OPENINGS * - 2
Joe Turner's Come and Gone (Sat), The Lost Boys (Sun -show with the most combined rehearsal/tech/preview period)
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews#25
Posted: 4/24/26 at 5:01am
It does seem Shaw and some of the other newer critics either have a different standard for awarding the pick or are just enthused about almost everything.
Videos
