Kevin McHale dedicates THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW Broadway debut to Cory Monteith
Kevin McHale began performances as Brad Majors in Broadway’s THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Studio 54 on 25 August 2026, making his Broadway debut and dedicating the occasion to his late GLEE castmate Cory Monteith. Just Jared reported that the biography in McHale’s first-night Playbill ended with a message describing Monteith as the person he would always regard as Brad. The account was published on 26 August, the day after his first performance. The tribute gave the debut a direct connection to the actors’ shared television history.
The connection is specific rather than incidental. McHale and Monteith appeared together on GLEE, where Monteith played Finn Hudson. In the programme’s season-two Rocky Horror episode, Finn portrayed Brad, the role McHale has now taken on at Studio 54. Monteith died in 2013. The reported dedication therefore joined McHale’s first Broadway credit to a character association established by the actors’ work on the series. That parallel gives the dedication its theatrical significance, but no source says it influenced McHale’s decision to accept the role.
Just Jared also reported that McHale remembered Monteith publicly before taking the Broadway stage. In a post on X ahead of the performance, McHale wrote about hearing songs Monteith had performed on GLEE and again associated his former castmate with Brad. The social post and Playbill message were separate public references on the same debut day, each associating Monteith with Brad.
The timing matters because McHale’s casting was already public. Playbill reported the announcement on 24 July, with 25 August set as his first performance and Andrew Durand named as the Brad he would succeed. What emerged on debut day was not a fresh casting announcement but the personal dedication attached to McHale’s first Broadway performance. The month between the announcement and start date separates the newly reported tribute from the earlier cast news.
Although the Studio 54 engagement is McHale’s first Broadway credit, it is not his stage debut. His official production biography says he made his stage debut in the Kennedy Center revival of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE in 2024. He made his London debut in THE FROGS in 2025, then reprised THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Off-Broadway before joining THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW. The sequence distinguishes his first Broadway performance from the start of his theatre work.
McHale arrived amid a broader August cast transition. Lorna Courtney also began performances as Janet on 25 August, succeeding Stephanie Hsu. The official cast page lists Paul Soileau as Frank-N-Furter from 25 August through 10 September, followed by Jake Shears from 11 September. The staggered dates are important: although Shears was named in the July casting news, he was not among the performers beginning on 25 August.
Directed by Sam Pinkleton, the revival features the book, music and lyrics of Richard O’Brien. The Broadway production began previews at Studio 54 on 26 March 2026 and opened there on 23 April. McHale’s arrival was therefore a replacement-cast development in an established run, rather than part of the production’s opening company.
The official production website currently offers performances through 28 February 2027, superseding an older November 2026 closing date that remains on some listings. The February date is also reflected in Roundabout Theatre Company’s listing. That booking period belongs to the production as a whole. The official cast page does not state the final date of McHale’s individual engagement, so the calendar should not be read as confirmation that he will remain in the role until then.
No Australian engagement, transfer, broadcast or ticketing arrangement has been announced in connection with McHale’s Broadway run. For Australian audiences, this remains a New York theatre development rather than a local production announcement. The next confirmed company change at Studio 54 is Shears’ first performance as Frank-N-Furter on 11 September.
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