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.”
