There’s something almost quaint about The Rocky Horror Show, the rock musical tribute to classic B-movies that had seemed like an outrageous one-finger salute to traditional mores when it premiered in 1973. These days, though, the idea of two virginal innocents experiencing a sexual awakening at the hands of a polyamorous transvestite named Frank-N-Furter and his alien minions doesn’t carry the same shock value. Director Sam Pinkleton’s affectionately campy new revival at Roundabout’s Studio 54 pays homage to the outsider, downtown spirit of the material, but the show emerges as more of a museum piece than a provocation. Perhaps that’s just as well for the show’s producers; the original Broadway production closed after 45 performances.
Pinkleton has assembled an eclectic cast, led by Broadway veterans Andrew Durand and Stephanie Hsu, as the uptight normals who seek refuge at Frank’s castle when their car stalls out on a dark and story night, and Hobbit star Luke Evans as Frank. Evans sports long, straggly hair, heavy eye makeup, and a pencil mustache to cap a lithe, gym-toned body tricked barely sheathed in a black crotch-forward corset, fishnet stockings, and knee-high leather pumps. (Tip of the crown to hair and wig designer Alberto “Albee” Alvarado, makeup artist Sterling Tull, and costumer David I. Reynoso.) He’s also found space for Broadway newbies like Juliette Lewis, as Frank’s domestic, Harvey Guillén as scientist Dr. Scott, and Josh Rivera (American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez) as Frank’s hunky boy-toy creation Rocky — and filled the ensemble with multiple regulars from the downtown theater scene such as Paul Soileau (aka Christeene), Boy Radio, and Anania.
But the production seems to be stuck in a time warp of its own — not knowing quite how to handle an audience that has grown accustomed to a lot of vocal callbacks from the midnight screenings of the 1975 film adaptation. Durand’s Brad is heckled as an “asshole,” Hsu’s Janet as a “slut,” and two audience members are called on stage for the first rendition of “Time Warp.” Rachel Dratch, an apt choice as the show’s onstage narrator, deftly rolls with most of the shout-outs and even acknowledges when someone delivers a line that’s new to her.
But at my performance, the callbacks were surprisingly sparse — and the audience remained seated through “Time Warp” despite Dratch pulling down schematics for theatergoers to dance along. That’s a sure sign that Rocky Horror — arguably the original immersive theatrical show, decades before Sleep No More and its ilk — has morphed into a more sedentary experience. Guillén’s science tutor, traditionally portrayed as a wheelchair-bound paraplegic, now simply chooses to plant himself in a wheeled office chair.
Mind you, The Rocky Horror Show is still a great deal of fun — and the deliberately lo-fi set design by the collective dots cleverly envelops the auditorium and unleashes many surprises as the show progresses, goosed by Jane Cox’s lighting. The cast gamely leans into the many campy elements, which helps to compensate for some performers whose singing is more brave than on pitch. Meanwhile, Hsu stands out for her powerhouse vocals and for her convincing evolution from prim bridesmaid into unapologetic, well, slut. It’s also nice to see Durand, who played a literal stiff in last year’s Dead Outlaw, flash some personality as well as some skin while bringing a plaintive quality to his second act solo “Once in a While.”
Speaking of personality, Evans makes a striking impression as Frank — towering over the cast in his four-inch heels while delivering a performance that is in turns seductive, off-putting, and out of this world. Which is entirely apt for a sweet transvestite from the Transylvania galaxy who after wreaking so much havoc yearns to return home, like an outré Dorothy Gale in Oz. And Frank really does seem sweet — not the walking provocateur that Tim Curry embodied a half century ago. Doing the Time Warp, again, is more an act of nostalgia than defiance, and the show’s pelvic thrusts seem more like exercise than something that will drive us insane. ★★★☆☆
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
Studio 54, Broadway
Running time: 2 hours (with one intermission)
Tickets on sale through July 19 for $82 to $339