The Rocky Horror Show is coming to Broadway! It has a limited run from March until June at Studio 54 in Manhattan. I love Rocky Horror and when they announced they were putting the show back on Broadway, I had high hopes for the cast. When they finally announced it, I was blown away. The ensemble is strong and includes actors such as Renée Albulario, Anania, Boy Radio and many other talented performers. Many of the cast are making their Broadway debut with this show and I am excited for all of the casting choices they made! So let me take you on a strange journey and explain who the cast is and why I, as a huge Rocky Horror fan, am excited.
The first role they announced was Frank-N-Furter. Frank is going to be played by openly gay Welsh actor Luke Evans making his Broadway debut! I know Evans from the live action Beauty and the Beast as Gaston, but he has been in multiple shows on the West End in London. Candidly, Evans is one of the actors they announced I know the least about, but I am excited to see what he brings to the role.Â
The next three characters I am going to talk about are Columbia, Riff Raff, and Magenta played by Michaela JaĂ© Rodriguez, Amber Gray, and Juliette Lewis respectively. Rodriguez is best known for her role in the TV show, Pose, which earned her an Emmy nomination, making her the first transgender woman to be nominated for an Emmy in the “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series” category. She is also a singer and was in a production of Little Shop of Horrors in California as Audrey. The Rocky Horror Show has always had a focus on gender expression and differences in gender identity, so having a trans woman as Columbia makes so much sense for the story and the character. I am so excited to see what she does with the role. Next is Gray as Riff Raff. I love that they are gender swapping Riff Raff for this revival and Gray is a fantastic choice! She is best known for her roles as HĂ©lène Kuragina Bezukhova in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 and as Persephone in Hadestown, which got her a Tony award nomination. Gray has an amazing voice and I can’t wait to hear her rendition of the Time Warp! Finally rounding out our trio of servants is Magenta played by Juliette Lewis known for being the adult Natalie in Yellowjackets. She has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards. She was the lead singer of an alternative rock band called Juliette and the Licks. I am excited to see this trio in action and hopeful for what they will bring to the characters.Â
With four of the main nine down, the next three actors I want to discuss are Rachel Dratch as the narrator, Harvey Guillén as Eddie/Dr. Scott and Josh Rivera as Rocky. Dratch is the narrator/criminologist. She is most famous for her seasons on Saturday Night Live. There have been a few comedians to take on the role including Gilbert Gottfried, Jack Nicholson, Stephen Fry, and Danny Devito. This role needs someone who is willing to be out there with it and I think she is up to the challenge. Many of the stage productions of Rocky Horror double cast Eddie/Dr. Scott and this production is no different! Guillén is making his Broadway debut as Eddie/Dr. Scott and I, for one, can not wait! Guillén is best known for his role as Guillermo de la Cruz in What We Do in the Shadows. Eddie is one of my favorite characters in the whole show and I think Meatloaf did a fantastic job in the film and is my favorite rendition of Eddie so Guillén has big shoes to fill. I have high hopes for a fantastic Broadway debut! Yet another Broadway debut in this production is Rivera as the title creature of Rocky. He is a relatively new actor starring as Chino in the 2021 remake of West Side Story and Sejanus Plinth in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. He was also a member of the U.S. tour of Hamilton.
The last two main characters are Brad played by Andrew Durand and Janet being played by Stephanie Hsu. Durand has been making a name for himself on Broadway as Elmer McCurdy in Dead Outlaw which got him nominated for a Tony award in 2025. Durand is paired with the actor I’m probably the most excited for, Stephanie Hsu. Hsu is no stranger to Broadway; she originated Christine in Be More Chill and more famously as Joy Wang and Jobu Tupaki in Everything Everywhere All At Once. I am so happy they decided to get Broadway players to portray Brad and Janet. I can’t wait to see how they make the characters their own!
The cast has an incredible amount of diversity and talent in every aspect. I love Rocky Horror and am so excited for this cast. The cast is paired with a strong crew including director Sam Pinkleton who just won a Tony for Oh, Mary and lighting director Jane Cox who has been nominated for multiple Tonys for her lighting work and won in 2024 for the play Appropriate. This cast and crew is set up for a home run of a show and I for one can’t wait to see what they do!