As the curtain fell on Wednesday’s Broadway performance of The Rocky Horror Show, cast members paused to mark the death of actor Tim Curry, who died at 80. The onstage tribute underscored how deeply Curry’s original turn as Frank‑N‑Furter continues to shape the musical more than five decades after it premiered.
During the curtain call, current lead Paul Soileau spoke to the audience about the character’s lasting power and Curry’s central role in creating it. He reflected on how the part has been carried forward by many performers but said the role’s origin — and its emotional home — began with Curry’s interpretation.
Onstage moment and performances
Soileau invited his predecessors onto the stage: Luke Evans, who stepped away from the role after his final performance three days earlier, and Jake Shears, set to begin his run on Sept. 11. The three men joined for a rendition of the show’s closing number, “I’m Going Home,” a performance the production shared on its official social channels.
The scene in the theater quickly became part elegy, part communal remembrance, with cast and audience acknowledging the link between Curry’s original portrayal and the continuing life of the show.
Curry’s place in Rocky Horror history
Tim Curry first brought Frank‑N‑Furter to life in the 1973 London premiere of Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror, and later reprised the role on Broadway and in the 1975 film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. That performance established a template many subsequent actors have referenced.
- Age at death: 80
- Origin of Frank‑N‑Furter: 1973 London production
- Film appearance: 1975 adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Recent revival: Broadway production honored Curry at its curtain call
- Casting note: Luke Evans completed his run; Jake Shears takes over beginning Sept. 11
For many performers and fans, Curry’s Frank‑N‑Furter was both provocative and generative: a character that invited identification and reinvention. Soileau noted that the role has been inhabited by countless actors and lives on through those performances.
Voices remembering Curry
Richard O’Brien, the creator of Rocky Horror, issued a statement—shared by his son—praising Curry’s craft and character. O’Brien described him as a generous performer who put the work first and did not seek the spotlight for its own sake, calling it a privilege to have known and worked with him.
On Broadway, a small memorial was set up in the lobby of Studio 54, where the revival is staged, as colleagues and fans left flowers and notes.
Wednesday’s tribute captured a moment of continuity: the original actor’s influence on a show that remains culturally resonant, and the ongoing responsibility performers feel in stewarding that legacy on stage today.
