The Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre and was equipped with many technical gimmicks.
Cast[]
- Magenta/Usherette: Daphne Rubin-Vega
- Columbia/Usherette: Joan Jett
- Janet Weiss: Alice Ripley
- Brad Majors: Jarrod Emick
- Narrator: Dick Cavett
- Riff Raff: Raúl Esparza
- Columbia: Joan Jett
- Frank-N-Furter: Terrence Mann, Tom Hewitt
- Rocky Horror: Sebastian LaCause
- Eddie / Dr. Scott: Lea DeLaria
- Phantoms: Kevin Cahoon, Deidre Goodwin, Aiko Nakasone, Mark Price, Jonathan Sharp and James Stovall
Production Specifics[]
This was one of the first productions to use the revamped script by Richard O'Brien, which introduced some elements from the film, such as the altered lyrics for the Charles Atlas Song and the change of placement of the Time Warp and Sweet Transvestite.
The production didn't use the original designs by Brian Thomson but instead opted for a more traditional approach, with Brad and Janet having an actual car and the castle looking more like a castle. Frank-N-Furter appeared out of the ceiling in an elevator, nodding even more to the movie. The opening scene of Brad and Janet in front of the church was a filmed segment that was projected onto a cinema screen, the only remnant of the original concept. Once the couple arrived at the castle, the cinema screen was gone, revealing the band behind some LED rods.
The theater had a thrust stage, and during the first few minutes of the show, the stage seemed rather small until Over At the Frankenstein Place, where the stage would fold itself out to reveal the real stage capacity.
From October 2001 to January 2002, several guest celebrities played the Narrator role[1] normally performed by Dick Cavett (Kate Clinton took over for a week while Cavett was on vacation), including Gilbert Gottfried, Sally Jesse Raphael, Robin Leach, magicians Penn & Teller, New York Post columnist Cindy Adams, MTV personality Dave Holmes, and talk show host Jerry Springer.
It is suggested that the revival, like other shows running at the time, closed early because of financial losses during the period following 9/11.
The revival was nominated for the following Tony Awards: Best Actor: Tom Hewitt; Best Costume Designer: David C. Woolard; Best Director: Christopher Ashley; and Best Musical Revival.
Even though the show was relatively successful, one issue hadn't been resolved since the show toured America in 1980, and that was the callbacks. American audiences just shouted out lines that were staples at movie screenings but didn't make sense with the live show, e.g., Dick Cavett was oftentimes asked where his neck was, as Charles Gray, the narrator in the film, appeared not to have one. Cavett's, on the other hand, was very visible.
Gallery[]
