4 hours ago
First Listen: Luke Evans Rehearses 'I'm Going Home' for Broadway's 'Rocky Horror Show' Revival
READ TIME: 3 MIN.
A rehearsal video offering the first public listen to Luke Evans performing in the Broadway revival of Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show was released on January 26, 2026. In the footage, Evans, known for his role as Gaston in the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast film, portrays the gender non-conforming mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter alongside director Sam Pinkleton as they prepare the show's 11 o'clock number, "I'm Going Home."
The production, presented by Roundabout Theatre Company, begins previews on March 26, 2026, with an official opening night on April 23, 2026, at Studio 54, running as a limited engagement through June 21, 2026. Studio 54, located at 254 West 54th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, holds historical significance as a former nightclub from 1977 to 1980, adding to the revival's thematic resonance with the show's campy, celebratory vibe.
The Rocky Horror Show, which premiered in London on June 19, 1973, at the Royal Court Theatre and ran cumulatively for 2,960 performances until 1980, follows a straight-laced couple, Brad and Janet, who encounter the eccentric inhabitants of Dr. Frank-N-Furter's mansion, blending horror, sci-fi, and rock music. Its 1975 film adaptation, starring Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter, Susan Sarandon as Janet, Barry Bostwick as Brad, and O’Brien as Riff Raff, became a cult phenomenon, fostering midnight screenings and interactive audience traditions that have long affirmed spaces for transgender people, queer individuals, and fans embracing gender fluidity and self-expression.
Evans, making his Broadway debut after London stage roles in Rent, Miss Saigon, and Avenue Q, as well as screen credits in The Hobbit, Clash of the Titans, and Nine Perfect Strangers, steps into the iconic role previously embodied by performers like Tim Curry and Laverne Cox in the 2016 Fox TV remake. Pinkleton, a Tony Award winner for Oh, Mary!, expressed enthusiasm for the project: “I'm giddy to crack this untamable classic open with the razor-sharp Luke Evans at the center. And I hope to do at Studio 54 what The Rocky Horror Show has done for people around the world for decades—open a dimension to another possible reality.... It seriously is the honor of a lifetime to bring the freakiest people I've ever met into the freakiest theatre I've ever been in to revisit the freakiest show there's ever been.”
Creator Richard O’Brien added: “It is music to my ears to hear that a cast of very fine actors is on its way to NYC in order to play let’s dress-up and make-believe, sing and dance and uplift the hearts of all those who enjoy the gift of free-thinking and the pleasure of love. Break out the fishnets and let’s have a party.” The creative team includes choreographer Ani Taj , music director and orchestrator Kris Kukul , set designer Tony nominee dots , costume designer David I. Reynoso , lighting designer Tony winner Jane Cox , sound designer Tony winner Brian Ronan , and hair and makeup designer Alberto “Albee” Alvarado .
This marks the second Broadway revival of the musical, following the 2000 production that ran for 437 performances with stars including Alice Ripley, Raúl Esparza, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Tom Hewitt, and Lea DeLaria, who earned acclaim in queer-affirming roles. Iconic songs like “Time Warp,” “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me,” “Dammit Janet,” and “Hot Patootie” promise to deliver the show's signature interactive energy. As the final show in Roundabout's 2025-26 season, alongside Fallen Angels starring Kelli O'Hara and Rose Byrne, Oedipus with Mark Strong and Lesley Manville, Archduke by Rajiv Joseph, and Chinese Republicans by Alex Lin, the revival underscores Broadway's ongoing embrace of works central to LGBTQ+ history.
The Rocky Horror Show has endured as a beacon for transgender people and LGBTQ+ communities, providing generations with a space to explore identity through its unapologetic portrayal of Frank-N-Furter's pansexual, cross-dressing persona and the show's encouragement of audience participation in fishnets and makeup. Additional casting remains to be announced, with tickets available via RoundaboutTheatre.org and other platforms.
