The Rocky Horror Picture Show is genuinely one of my favorite films of all time. The longest running theatrical release in movie history brought the strange and unusual into the mainstream. Endlessly quotable and bizarrely twisted, that film, hatched from the stage show, still sells out midnight shows and features shadow casts to reenact the scenes—in other words, Richard O’Brien’s brain child was a full-blown cultural phenomenon. Enter: The Rocky Horror Show, a fresh take on the timeless transsexual rock musical, helmed by Tony-winning Oh, Mary director, Sam Pinkleton. An all-star cast—including Luke Evans, Rachel Dratch, Andrew Durand, Juliette Lewis, Amber Gray, and Stephanie Hsu—fill the central roles, whether they’re right for the part or dreadfully miscast. While this iteration has glimmers of greatness (and Luke Evans!), it fails to capture the quirky vibes of the film. Instead, this Broadway update feels bizarrely makeshift and rough around the edges when it should’ve felt campy and dazzling. Doctor X builds a creature… but unfortunately, the end result is too Frankensteined to resurrect into a double feature worthy of cult classic status.
The opening was never going to be as iconic as a set of lips crooning, but Juliette Lewis’s Magenta opens the show a little too simplistically for my taste. It’s not as if Lewis is miscast; rather, it felt like something was holding her back. Perhaps she was just having an off night, but as the opening centerpiece, I have to admit feeling a little underwhelmed right off the bat. There’s some fun strangeness with the giant curtain covering the stage. This feature extends into the show’s second number, “Dammit Janet!” Fear began creeping in: would there be no genuine stage to speak of, just curtains? Thankfully, that’s not the case, but the overuse of curtains can be incredibly distracting.
Brad and Janet are one of the more successful elements of the production, with both Andrew Durand and Stephanie Hsu well suited for their respective roles. Durand plays up the naive charms of Brad, while Hsu really lets her freak flag fly when Janet gets to let loose later on. When the couple finally arrive at the Frankenstein place one car break down later, one would expect the real razzle dazzle to kick in. Instead, we get a rather underwhelming take on the “Time Warp.” There’s a fun gag with Columbia’s tap dancing, but that song, arguably the most recognizable in all of Rocky Horror, should have been a centerpiece.
Instead, Dr. Frank-N-Furter gets the boldest character entrance. He doesn’t emerge from an elevator; rather, Frank appears from some shutters at the top of a grand staircase. Unquestionably, Luke Evans and his command over Tim Curry’s iconic role is the best feature of this production. He hits the high notes, plays up the flirty sexuality of Frank, and makes the rather shoddy costume design look great. His fixation on Brad, Janet, and Rocky makes Frank an unpredictable joy to watch. Of course, that Evans is so spectacular is a testament to the excellent bones of the narrative Richard O’Brien created so long ago. Even with numerous issues, the book’s strangeness—and sexually-charged musicality—shine through.
As for the rest of the ensemble, it’s a mixed bag with several standouts. Rachel Dratch’s Narrator gave audiences the giggles, especially as she spins in her rolling chair and fumbles with her charts. In act two, the messiness prevails, tying her non-character into the action rather than keeping her on the sidelines. This is especially glaring during “Eddie,” which is purely chaotic and not necessarily in a good way. Dratch never falters. Her comedic background cements her work as inspired and fun. She truly understands the assignment. Also great in a belty, somewhat demanding role: Josh Rivera. He’s asked to be nearly-naked for the entire show, and required to keep a Charles Atlas physique, too. As a sexual object to crave, there could be no one better.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, MJ Rodriguez was out at my show. This Columbia had dramatically high highs and low lows, to put it mildly. Harvey Guillen makes some extremely odd choices, particularly as Dr. Scott, and stuck out in a bad way amongst the rest of the ensemble. Amber Gray’s Riff Raff is decent, but doesn’t match O’Brien’s manic energy or raspy delivery. Even when we get to the iconic floor show, there’s something missing. Still, the performances of “Rose Tint My World” and “I’m Going Home” are nearly as brilliant as their source material.
With a barebones set and a puzzling tonal messiness, The Rocky Horror Show frustrates more than it delights. However, there’s no denying that it remains entertaining throughout. Whether that means witnessing Frank eating out Brad’s ass or Janet’s erotic air jumping, there’s no shortage of hilariously off-kilter imagery. For this theatregoer, Rocky Horror has a specific tone and style that just doesn’t hit the same in this iteration. Why the neon theming? Why emphasize the shortcomings through cheap props and sparse set decor? Even Glee’s McKinley High had more of a budget to stage the show faithfully. Though the original 1975 Broadway run was short-lived and altogether rejected by audiences back in the 70s, at least this take is getting Tony nominations and filling up seats. Whether The Rocky Horror Show becomes a satisfying sin of the flesh falls in the eye of the beholder.
Give yourself over to absolute pleasure with The Rocky Horror Show, now playing performances at Broadway’s Studio 54. For ticketing information, please head over to the official website.
