THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW reviews — Page 10

Does anybody know when Amber will return? Looks like she's been out because of her injury all week.

Drag Race’s Valentina is joining the cast as Columbia starting July 21st. (Given her track record, expect to see a lot of Larkin and Caleb.)

ColorTheHours048 said: "Drag Race’s Valentina is joining the cast as Columbia starting July 21st. (Given her track record, expect to see a lot of Larkin and Caleb.)"

Christ on a cracker. How quickly we have forgotten RENT: LIVE. At least MJ had musical theatre training. Aja’s face said it best:

Per the show's social media, it looks like Valentina actually went on tonight. Abrupt departures and now surprise debuts- so weird.

Updated On: 7/17/26 at 10:45 PM

TheatreFan4 said: "ColorTheHours048 said: "Drag Race’s Valentina is joining the cast as Columbia starting July 21st. (Given her track record, expect to see a lot of Larkin and Caleb.)"

Her issue isn't showing up, its that she takes forever getting ready. I would hope with people getting her ready that would be less of an issue...

Columbia doesnt exactly need to be a strong singer so that may be fine..."

Don’t know in was fantasy you’re living in but the cast of the show do their own make-up and hair personnel place the wigs on them. Per union policy, a dresser helps them dress. All actors on Broadway do their own make-up and prep their own hair for the wig cap.

BrodyFosse123 said: "Don’t know in was fantasy you’re living in but the cast of the show do their own make-up and hair personnel place the wigs on them. Per union policy, a dresser helps them dress. All actors on Broadway do their own make-up and prep their own hair for the wig cap."

It is not an across the board rule. Jellicle Ball has makeup artists, Wicked (obviously) has an artist for Elphaba. It has to do with whether the person has the pull to demand someone do their makeup or if logistically it's realistic that they do their own makeup. I would again guarantee, Valentina has a makeup artist. Valentina doesn't do any work without someone doing her makeup anymore and she hasn't in years. I see no reason why that would change here.

Saw the show yesterday afternoon after being very "meh" about it back in April.

It's in much better shape now and I genuinely do credit a lot of that to Sherie. When Juliette opened the show, you had a person with a not great voice whose energy was so odd that it kind of started the whole thing on a bizarre note. Sherie enters looking like a million books, sounding as good as ever, and is so specifically weird that everyone who comes onstage afterwards has to now match what she did at the top of the show. And (almost) everyone benefits. She keeps that energy and presence up for the rest of the show.

Stephanie Hsu is great, I still wish her voice was stronger, but she's incredibly funny and committed. Josh Rivera besides being beyond gorgeous (would've made a killer Rum Tum Tugger in the Jellicle Ball) is somehow delivering a a fully formed performance in the role of Rocky. Luke Evans still fantastic. Andrew Durand is doing exactly what you'd expect Andrew Durand to do as Brad and it works. Amber Gray vocally doesn't do much for me in the role (and I usually love her voice) but is so deeply committed during the scenes you have to admire it. I do not think Harvey Guillen is all that good, unfortunately. Wish his vocals were stronger as Eddie, and then his accent as Dr. Scott renders a lot of his lines unintelligble.

Valentina is an odd one. Michaela Jaé was not good. Valentina is also not good but in different ways. She is not a singer or a dancer or an actor really. She spends most of act 1 whispering all of her lines and struggling to hit notes. Act 2 she was better but still not really great. She is stunning to look at and does seem to be having fun onstage, but I don't understand why they didn't just promote Caleb Quezon or Larkin Reilly who by all accounts were wonderful in the role. Columbia does not need to be played by a "star" of any kind.

The production is still hit or miss for me, I don't think it entirely justifies itself because in almost all ways it is just as good as you'd see at a regional theatre. But it was a good time yesterday afternoon and I won't begrudge revisiting to see other replacements down the line.

i look fwd to more new additions the cast so i can return, but appreciate these reports.

Strange to hear that Hsu's voice isnt strong- i thought it was incredible when I saw her in May. And while i know nothing of Valentina, the role of Columbia in this production is asked to do very little, so why not have people in the role who might get tickets sold? Of course the existing understudies are better qualified but theyre trying to sell tickets, like everyone else.

It's also not as thought Columbia is the only role cast with a famous or "famous" person in the role. You have Luke Evans, Stephanie Hsu, Harvey Guillén, and Josh Rivera who are all known in different (and occasionally overlapping) demographics. I don't think Valentina is reaching an untapped market. The people that would pay to see Valentina in Rocky Horror are the people that would already pay to see a production of Rocky Horror.

A MILLION books I tell you!!

PipingHotPiccolo said: "Strange to hear that Hsu's voice isnt strong- i thought it was incredible when I saw her in May. And while i know nothing of Valentina, the role of Columbia in this production is asked to do very little, so why not have people in the role who might get tickets sold? Of course the existing understudies are better qualified but theyre trying to sell tickets, like everyone else.

"

Maybe she had an off day when they saw her, because yesterday afternoon, she and the rest of the cast (save Valentina) were absolutely on fire.

I went with my longtime childhood friend, who has really only ever seen the movie in passing over the years and is slightly more conservative in her media choices (not MAGA - moreso meaning she wouldn’t 100% understand Pinkleton’s type of subversive weirdness) and she was absolutely effusive by the end of the show.

I will say that Rachel absolutely nailed an ad lib yesterday that made the crowd go nuts.

It was right after the scene when Janet discovers Brad on the monitor (if you know, you know), and Rachel then casually walked to her side booth with a smirk, pulled down one of her charts, and then said “WELL YOU CERTAINLY WON’T SEE THAT AT THE WORLD CUP!”