Thongs! Fishnets! Platforms! The Rocky Horror Show Celebrated Its Broadway Revival with a Glitzy Opening Night

“Wearing heels was not natural at all,” Evans told Vogue on the red carpet, laughing. “I had never worn heels in my life. This was going back to school and learning about weight distribution and realizing that there’s muscle in my legs that I didn’t know I had. I’ve actually enjoyed wearing them. I started in shorter heels and now I’m in seven-inch platform heels. I have always had immense respect for women, but now it’s a little extra homage to them and everybody that wears heels in life. God, they are heroes to me. I’m glad I only have to wear them for two hours a night!”

As for his revealing costume, Evans admitted that “it was terrifying when I first put it on. But weirdly, when that shutter opens at the top of the stairs when I enter, the thong is the last thing I’m thinking about. I have to leave all of the insecurities of how I look, because Frank doesn’t carry any of those within his psyche. I walk out as Frank and with the confidence he requires.”

“These characters are so iconic, and what is recognizable about them is their visual identity,” said costume designer David I. Reynoso. “It was important that we were honoring that.” One of the looks Reynoso created for Evans was a spectacular naughty-nurse-meets-dominatrix outfit in white vinyl for the scene in which Rocky (played by Josh Rivera) is born in Frank’s laboratory. “Luke was so game to try things and so open about communicating what he felt was important to him, and also trying things that were outside of his initial comfort zone,” Reynoso said.

The cast of The Rocky Horror Show on stage.

Photo: Getty Images

On opening night, devoted fans in the audience showed up in costumes of their own, dressed in chaps, maid uniforms, corsets, fishnets, lots of black leather, and elaborate makeup to celebrate the cult classic’s themes of self-expression and sexual liberation. Guests like Neil Patrick Harris wore eyeliner, while Harvey Guillén, who makes his Broadway debut in Rocky Horror with his dual roles of Eddie and Dr. Scott, applied intricate eyeshadow. “I’m going to cry several times today and my makeup artist was like, ‘Let’s lean into it with some makeup so no one can tell,’” he said with a laugh.

For his part, Pinkleton wore a pantless Tanner Fletcher look (“What other Broadway show can you wear underwear to the opening of? It’s so freeing!”), while Andrew Durand, who plays Brad, wore a sheer top and black trousers. “I wanted to go for something in the vibe of the show that’s slightly masculine and feminine—blurring those lines,” he said. “I feel great.” Evans chose a punk look by designer Jose Gonzalez that featured an underbust corset and a jacket embellished with fur-like material.

The excitement inside the theater was palpable. The night’s starry attendees included Marc Jacobs, Laverne Cox, and Sarandon, who starred as Janet in the 1975 film that helped launch her renowned career.

“I’m very excited to be here tonight,” Sarandon told Vogue. “I really feel attached to Rocky Horror. I’m all about its message, ‘Don’t dream it, be it,’ and promoting that. I think this story has remained popular for over 50 years due to the idea of being your authentic self. I think that’s a really positive and fabulous message. And I think the show provides a really accepting, experimental atmosphere for people to dress up. You can wear whatever you want and feel safe.”

Stephanie Hsu, who plays Janet in the revival, was excited for Sarandon to see her interpretation of the part. “I just hope she has a really good time and feels shaken,” said Hsu, an Oscar nominee for her work in Everything Everywhere All at Once. “I really feel our show has the potential to shake the loins and the spirit, and I hope that she receives that from this evening. My interpretation of Janet is more animal and creature-like and queer.”

Juliette Lewis, who makes her fiery Broadway debut in the show as Magenta, an alien disguised as a maid at Frank-N-Furter’s castle, opens and closes the show with her rendition of “Science Fiction/Double Feature.” “I used to have that song on a mixed tape,” Lewis, dressed in a Christian Siriano gown, told Vogue. “When I was 11 years old, I discovered Rocky Horror. It was the music, first and foremost, that spoke to me and it brought me to life. The feeling about being an outsider—I understood that and I think that’s why the music speaks to the misfits, freaky artists, and queer culture. It unifies a whole bunch of different kinds of people who never found a home.”

That sensibility also struck a chord with Guillén. “I really admire that the show is unapologetically queer and the lyrics in the songs saying it’s okay to be different have been around for half a century,” he said. “For kids to hear this and feel that there was something made for them not to feel alone, really resonated with me. Every generation has felt like an outsider and a show like this makes you feel like you belong.”

For Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, who plays Columbia, a heartbroken human, the return of The Rocky Horror Show on Broadway couldn’t be more timely. “With everything that’s going on with the recent opposition to gay and transgender rights, this show is the best way to be as radical as possible and also to be as liberated as possible in your queerness,” she said. “Whether you’re a part of the LGBTQI community or if you’re an ally, this is the best show to show that we don’t care and we are fighting through the arts.”

The cast and creative team on the red carpet.

Photo: Getty Images

After the actors took their bows and did an encore of “The Time Warp,” the cast and creators gathered at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square for the after-party. Guests sipped on Rocky Horror Show-themed specialty cocktails and mingled over a late-night buffet of chicken piccata and vegan pasta primavera. Pinkleton made the rounds and was greeted with congratulatory hugs from friends and colleagues.

“I have been working on Rocky Horror for eight years and talked to hundreds of people that have stories of Rocky Horror. The theme through so many of these stories is about being seen,” the director said. “It’s about survival, and Rocky Horror has given them a world that they could live in because they couldn’t live in their own reality. It’s deeply endearing and meaningful stuff. I think Rocky Horror is, of course, so silly and ridiculous, but it’s also dead honest, and I think it’s offered a life preserver to literally generations of people. My biggest hope is that our show will continue to help people.”