Luke Evans to lead THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW on Broadway
Roundabout Theatre Company announces screen and UK stage star Luke Evans will lead the cast and make his Broadway debut in the role of “Frank-N-Furter” in the upcoming production of Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show, with direction by Tony Award-winner Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!). Previews will begin on Thursday, March 26, 2026, ahead of an opening on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at Studio 54 on Broadway. This is a limited engagement through Sunday, June 21, 2026. Additional cast members will be announced at a later date.
Roundabout is also pleased to announce the creative and design team for the production which will include: choreography by Ani Taj (Dead Outlaw, Untitled DanceShowPartyThing w/Sam Pinkleton), music direction and orchestrations by Kris Kukul (Beetlejuice, All In: Comedy About Love), set design by Tony Award-nominee dots (Appropriate, Oh, Mary!), costume design by Tony Award-nominee David I. Reynoso (Water for Elephants, Sleep No More), lighting design by Tony Award-winner Jane Cox (Appropriate, Macbeth), sound design by Tony Award-winner Brian Ronan (Beautiful, The Great Gatsby) and hair & makeup design by Drama Desk Award-nominee Alberto “Albee” Alvarado (The Outsiders, Sumo).
Richard O’Brien said: “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.”
Sam Pinkleton said: “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. No pressure, of course. Rocky Horror is, to me, a sublime, ridiculous, giant-hearted act of love - a trashy little musical that means so many things to generations of tender weirdos with mascara streaming down their faces. I hope we can make something joyous, unfathomable, straight from outer space and I can't wait to welcome, really WELCOME you into the slimy tentacles of Studio 54.”
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show has been in continuous production throughout the world for the last 52 years, the only musical to have achieved this record. The show originally opened at the Royal Court Theatre in 1973, while the subsequent film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered a few years later in 1975. The stage version has been seen by over 40 million people in some 15 languages. The legendary rock-‘n’-roll musical takes on new life as a guaranteed party at the legendary Studio 54 and will feature some of the most iconic musical show stopping classics of all time, including “Dammit Janet,” “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a Touch Me,” “Hot Patootie” and of course, “Time Warp,” the party floor-filler. The Rocky Horror Show is the story of two squeaky clean college kids—Brad and his fiancée, Janet—on their way to visit their former college professor when by a twist of fate, their car breaks down outside a mansion. They meet the charismatic Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Riff Raff, Columbia, Magenta, Eddie, and Rocky. It is an adventure they would remember, for a very long time. Filled with fun, frolics and frocks, this is the show the Daily Telegraph calls “fresh. subversive, and essential.”
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show is proudly supported by Tri-State Cadillac, the Official Auto Partner of Roundabout Theatre Company.
Major support for Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show is generously provided by Sean Nyberg & Paul Danforth.
Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show benefits from Roundabout's Musical Production Fund with lead gifts from the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Joele Frank and Laurence Klurfeld, and Diane & Tom Tuft.
Richard O’Briend’s The Rocky Horror Show marks the final production of Roundabout’s 2025-2026 season which also includes Archduke by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Darko Tresnjak and now in previews; Chinese Republicans by Alex Lin, directed by Chay Yew; and Fallen Angels by Noël Coward, directed by Scott Ellis. This season, Roundabout is also committed to renovating the Todd Haimes Theatre on Broadway and will welcome back artists and audiences to the updated theatre with Fallen Angels.
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