Rosie O’Donnell Joins ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ for Two Weeks

Rosie O’Donnell is returning to Broadway for a short, high-profile engagement in The Rocky Horror Show. The comedian and actor will step into the role of the Narrator at Studio 54 from October 6 through October 18 while current cast member Rachel Dratch takes a temporary leave.

The two-week booking marks O’Donnell’s first Broadway acting appearance in roughly two decades. Her last Broadway role was Golde in the 2005 production of Fiddler on the Roof, opposite Harvey Fierstein as Tevye.

A brief return with a long stage history

O’Donnell’s Broadway résumé also includes playing the Cat in the Hat in Seussical in 2001 and Rizzo in the 1994 revival of Grease. She produced the musical Taboo in 2003 and has continued working off-Broadway, including her recent one-woman show Common Knowledge.

Her arrival gives the revival a celebrity guest at a moment when the production already has significant momentum. Directed by Sam Pinkleton, the show began previews in March and officially opened in April. It later received nine Tony Award nominations and set a Studio 54 weekly box-office record in June.

Who is already in the revival

The current company includes Jake Shears as Frank-N-Furter, Lorna Courtney as Janet, Kevin McHale as Brad and Amber Gray as Riff Raff. George Salazar appears as Eddie and Dr. Scott, while Sherie Rene Scott plays Magenta and Valentina takes on Columbia.

O’Donnell’s limited run does not permanently replace Dratch; it covers a defined absence before the regular Narrator returns. Tickets for the revival are currently available beyond O’Donnell’s engagement, with the production scheduled at Studio 54 through February 28, 2027.

The casting turns a short gap in the schedule into an event of its own: a familiar television personality revisiting a stage career that began well before her years as a daytime talk-show host and panelist.