This fall, Fox will be airing a new take on the classic musical THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, a passion project for executive producer Gail Berman that has taken fourteen years to come to fruition. Directed and choreographed by Kenny Ortega, the TV RHPS is said to be faithfully sticking to the text and score, but greatly reimagining the story visually.
We get a taste of that new visual sensibility with the first look at actress Laverne Cox in the iconic role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, that "sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania". With the fashion sense of a "love child of Grace Jones and David Bowie", Ortega and Cox's Frank dresses in modified old burlesque costumes.
Beside Frank we see Ben Vereen as Dr. Scott.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cox also talked about making her professional singing debut with this televised musical:
When I started training again last year, I started working my chest voice. As a trans woman with a low voice, I had been so afraid of those low tones. This is a character where it’s absolutely appropriate that I sing in the base baritone register that I have. What’s also fun is playing with those higher notes in my register too. … But it’s been wonderful claiming my chest voice. It’s been really healing."
The Rocky Horror Picture Show centers on
sweethearts Janet Weiss and Brad Majors, played in the movie by Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick, who stumble upon Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s bizarre abode. Frank-N-Furter, a sexually ambiguous flirtatious alien mad-scientist, is holding an annual Transylvanian science convention to showcase the birth of “Rocky Horror” – a fit, attractive man created solely to fulfill Frank’s desires.
Cox and Vereen's co-stars include Victoria Justice as Janet, Ryan McCartan as Brad, Reeve Carney as Riff Raff, Christina Milian as Magenta, Annaleigh Ashford as Columbia, Adam Lambert as Eddie, and Tim Curry (pictured above as the cinematic Frank-N-Furter) as the Narrator.