“Dammit, Janet!”
The iconic musical “The Rocky Horror Show” is making its return to Broadway, but with a twist that’s causing a stir among its devoted fans. The revival at Studio 54 is introducing restrictions on the famously interactive audience participation that has long been a hallmark of its performances. This has left enthusiasts lamenting that without the chance to sing along, shout lines, and toss props during the show, the experience loses its unique appeal.
The theater’s management has taken steps to curtail the traditional “callback” lines, which are cheeky interjections from the audience timed perfectly with the dialogue on stage. Notices have been placed within the venue to discourage these interactive outbursts, a move that has sparked some disappointment among followers of the cult classic.
In addition, a new advisory on the production’s website urges attendees to “choose your call outs carefully,” reminding them that this is a Broadway musical, distinct from the film’s midnight screenings where such behavior is celebrated.
Kelly Cook, a theatergoer from Texas who attended a preview performance, expressed her dismay to The Post. “If you take away a little bit of the participation, I think that dulls the senses a little bit,” she shared. Cook, 59, emphasized the importance of the interplay between the performers and the audience, adding, “I don’t know if I would have bought a ticket if I’d have known ahead of time that they were gonna make people be less interactive.”
“It’s all about the interaction between the cast and the guests,” Cook, 59, said, adding, “I don’t know if I would have bought a ticket if I’d have known ahead of time that they were gonna make people be less interactive.”
“I’ve been learning all the callbacks, and I was really excited to do them at this big show,” said 16-year-old Beckett, of Atlanta. “I’m pretty disappointed that they’re not allowing any.”
Suzanne Orlando, of New Jersey, said it was difficult to hold back for fans who have seen the musical and it’s movie version, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” multiple times.
“I do understand for other patrons, who aren’t familiar with it, how it could be annoying,” Orlando, 50, said, “but you gotta do the callback lines.”
“The Rocky Horror Show” first debuted as a successful live theater show in London in 1973 before becoming a 1975 movie starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon.
While the film was an initial flop, it gained a cult following on the midnight movie circuit in New York City’s Greenwich Village, where dressing up as characters, “callback” lines and tossing items – such as toast, toilet paper and playing cards – quickly became tradition.
Some stage productions of the musical carried the rituals, with one Broadway production in 2000 encouraging the bold callbacks. Producers even sold “audience participation” kits to audience members.
“The call-outs are a product of audience reactions to the film, which was two years after the stage show,” reads a disclaimer on the 2026 production’s website.
“The call-outs that many people know are part of the culture, but we also want to balance the experience for the audience members who want to hear the musical and give respect to the live human actors who are onstage performing.”
A request for comment from the production team was not immediately returned.
The production’s director, Sam Pinkleton, told The New York Times there are “classic” callbacks that can be done “Once In A While,” such as calling the character Brad Majors an “a–hole” and Janet Weiss a “slut.”
But the new production’s star as Frank-N-Furter, Luke Evans, told the outlet that “hardcore” fans who unrelentingly fire off callback lines – which can include current event references and even mentions of Donald Trump – sound “nasty and heckling.”
Theater-goer Lindsay Shields, a Brooklyn resident, agreed that live performances should be treated differently than film screenings.
“Live actors can get rattled and frazzled,” Shields said. “If it is a film, then you can talk back and throw stuff all you want, because they’re not going to be affected. But real actors are going to be affected.”
Willow Hart, 25, told The Post that the callback restraint was “a little bit of a bummer.
“I think people here are not really in the ‘Rocky Horror’ spirit. We’re the only ones dressed up, so that makes me think people don’t really know what this show is about.”
Attendee Brie Levitan said before a recent performance that it’s difficult for fans not to participate — and she may not be able to fully hold back.
“I am of the age that I called back, and I went to the shows, so it’s gonna be really hard.
“But I’ll probably be singing under my breath.”
