Some Broadway casting announcements require a moment to process, while Jake Shears playing Frank-N-Furter feels almost inevitable.
The openly gay Scissor Sisters frontman will take over the leading role in Broadway’s current revival of The Rocky Horror Show at Studio 54.
Shears begins performances on September 11, succeeding Luke Evans as the glamorous scientist at the centre of Richard O’Brien’s cult musical (Deadline).
Evans will play his final performance on August 23 after earning a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the revival.
Shears brings a career steeped in glitter, theatricality and queer pop culture to one of musical theatre’s most famously uninhibited characters.
As the frontman of Scissor Sisters, he helped turn songs including Take Your Mama, Filthy/Gorgeous and I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ into flamboyant pop anthems.
His relationship with musical theatre has also grown steadily alongside his recording career.
Shears made his Broadway debut as Charlie Price in Kinky Boots in 2018.
He later played the Emcee in the West End production of Cabaret and wrote the lyrics for Tammy Faye, the Elton John musical that transferred from London to Broadway.
Frank-N-Furter now offers him a role that combines rock performance, comedy, sexuality and the kind of unapologetic spectacle that has long defined his work.
Shears will not be the only new visitor arriving at the Frankenstein Place.
Kevin McHale will make his Broadway debut as Brad, while Tony Award nominee Lorna Courtney will take over the role of Janet.
McHale and Courtney begin performances on August 25, replacing Andrew Durand and Stephanie Hsu, who will also depart on August 23.
McHale is best known for playing Artie Abrams throughout six seasons of Glee.
His casting also carries a satisfying piece of television history because Artie portrayed Dr. Scott when Glee staged its own version of The Rocky Horror Show.
McHale made his New York stage debut in the recent revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, but Brad will be his first Broadway role.
Courtney earned a Tony nomination for originating the leading role in Broadway’s & Juliet.
She subsequently played Veronica Sawyer in the Off-Broadway revival of Heathers and appeared in the world-premiere stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman.
Paul Soileau, who is part of the current company, is scheduled to perform as Frank-N-Furter between Evans’ departure and Shears’ arrival.
The revival is directed by Sam Pinkleton, the Tony-winning director of Oh, Mary!.
It began previews in March and officially opened at Studio 54 on April 23.
The production received nine Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical and acting nominations for Evans, Hsu and Rachel Dratch.
Other members of the evolving company include Dratch as the Narrator, Amber Gray as Riff Raff, Harvey Guillén as Eddie and Dr. Scott, Josh Rivera as Rocky, Sherie Rene Scott as Magenta and RuPaul’s Drag Race favourite Valentina as Columbia.
The Rocky Horror Show first premiered in London in 1973 before inspiring the 1975 film adaptation starring Tim Curry.
The story follows the painfully conventional Brad and Janet after a breakdown leads them into Frank-N-Furter’s mansion and a world determined to disrupt everything they thought they understood.
Its mixture of glam rock, sexual freedom, audience participation and gleeful defiance helped it become an enduring part of queer culture.
With Shears slipping into Frank’s heels and McHale finally stepping onto a Broadway stage, the new cast feels particularly well suited to continuing that strange journey.
📷 @rockyhorrorbway / @jakeshears (+ boyfriend @jonreynolds1) / @kevinmchale (+ boyfriend @austineyes)
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