Damn it, Janet!
The Broadway revival of “The Rocky Horror Show” is limiting audience participation, and fans are expressing concerns. They believe the musical experience is incomplete without the ability to sing along, shout lines, and toss objects during the performances.
Management at Studio 54 has put up signs discouraging “callback” lines, which are those iconic shouts from the audience at various moments in the show.
A new page on the production’s website advises attendees, “This is a Broadway musical, not a midnight screening of a movie, so choose your callouts carefully.”
“I think taking away any of the audience’s emotional involvement kind of desensitizes everyone,” remarked Kelly Cook, a Texan who attended a preview. She added, “Had I known that there would be less interaction, I might not have bought the tickets.”
Beckett, a 16-year-old from Atlanta, expressed his disappointment, saying, “I’ve been practicing the callbacks, and I was really excited to show them off at this big show. It’s too bad they’re not allowing any of that.”
Suzanne Orlando, hailing from New Jersey, pointed out how tough it is for longtime fans of both the musical and its film adaptation, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” to hold back.
Orlando, who is 50, noted, “I get that it might annoy others who aren’t used to it, but I can’t help but want to call back.”
“The Rocky Horror Show” debuted in London as a live theater production in 1973 and earned acclaim. The film version, released in 1975 and featuring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon, initially flopped but later gathered a massive cult following, particularly during late-night screenings in New York City. Fans began dressing up as characters and engaging in callback lines and throwing items like toast, toilet paper, and cards, which became part of the tradition.
Subsequent stage versions have typically embraced this audience engagement. The 2000 Broadway production even sold “audience participation” kits to enhance the experience.
A disclaimer on the 2026 production’s website reads, “This call is a product of audience response to the film two years after its stage performance.” It goes on to note, “While callouts are a known cultural element, we also strive to balance the experience for those who wish to appreciate the musical as it is, respecting the live actors on stage.”
The production team has not yet provided immediate comments on the matter.
Sam Pinkleton, the production director, mentioned to a publication that there are still some “classic” callbacks allowed “once in a while,” such as referring to Brad Majors as a “hole” and Janet Weiss as a “slut.”
However, Luke Evans, who takes on the role of Frank-N-Furter in the revamped film, pointed out that his frequent callbacks—including some modern references, like to Donald Trump—can come off as “nasty and jeering” to hardcore fans.
Brooklyn resident Lindsay Shields suggested that live theater needs to be handled differently than film screenings. “Live actors can be affected by audience reactions,” she said. “In a movie setting, it’s easier to throw things and talk back without consequence. But real performers, they feel it.”
Willow Hart, 25, shared her disappointment about the suppression of callbacks, stating, “It seems like not everyone here is really into the ‘Rocky Horror’ spirit. We’re the only ones dressed up.”
Another attendee, Bree Levitan, mentioned that it might be hard for fans to stay away entirely, admitting, “I’m old enough to engage in callbacks, so it’s going to be really tough. But I might just end up singing quietly to myself.”
