Luke Evans publishes letter honouring Tim Curry after Broadway Frank-N-Furter run

On 26 August 2026, Luke Evans published an Instagram tribute to Tim Curry and shared a letter he had written about three weeks earlier, near the end of his Broadway debut as Frank-N-Furter in Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2026 revival of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Studio 54. Curry had died the previous night. The post connected Evans’s recently completed engagement with Curry’s creation of the role in the original 1973 London stage production.

In the letter, Evans described being compared with Curry as an immense compliment, but said imitation was not his goal. He had tried to honour the earlier performance while finding an interpretation of Frank that belonged to him. That distinction was central to his account of taking over a character so closely associated with its first performer, and of carrying that influence without attempting a replica.

Evans also thanked Curry for creating an enduring interpretation and inspiring the performers who followed him into the part. He expressed the hope that Curry would have approved of another actor taking such pleasure in playing Frank. The thought reads as admiration for Curry’s work rather than a claim of personal endorsement.

The timing separates the letter from the memorial tribute that later made it public. By Evans’s account, he wrote it while he was still appearing on Broadway and before Curry’s death, rather than composing it retrospectively. Evans said the two men had never met. There is no public confirmation that the letter was mailed or otherwise delivered, or that Curry received, read or responded to it.

Evans did not disclose the letter’s exact date, so its composition can be placed only approximately in early August. He gave his final performance on 23 August. Curry died at his Los Angeles home on Tuesday night, 25 August, aged 80, and Evans published the tribute the following day. Curry’s longtime manager and friend, Marcia Hurwitz, confirmed the death. The Associated Press corrected an initial account that had placed it on Wednesday. No cause had been disclosed at the time of reporting.

Official Broadway records provide clear boundaries for Evans’s public engagement. The revival began previews on 26 March and officially opened on 23 April at Studio 54. The Internet Broadway Database records Evans in the production from 26 March through 23 August. That period was just under five months of public performances, and the limited tenure marked his Broadway debut. Because he appeared during previews, 26 March, rather than the April opening date, is the correct starting point for his time before Broadway audiences.

In the tribute, Evans referred to seven months spent playing Frank. That longer span may encompass rehearsal and preparation, although he did not publicly break it down. It is not the length of the public Broadway run: IBDB’s dated performance record covers just under five months, from the first preview through his final performance.

The debut brought Evans recognition across three theatre awards. He received a 2026 Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and a Drama Desk nomination. He also received a Theatre World Award for the production. The Tony and Drama Desk recognitions were nominations, while the Theatre World honour was an award.

Curry’s association with Frank-N-Furter began in the original London staging of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW in 1973, when he originated the role. He reprised the character in the 1975 film adaptation, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. That progression from stage to screen is the foundation of the comparison Evans addressed: later performers inherit both the theatrical role and the cultural memory of Curry’s screen performance.

The distinction between the titles is important. Evans appeared in the stage musical THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, while Curry’s 1975 screen appearance was in THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. Keeping those works separate places Evans’s Broadway achievement correctly: he was interpreting the stage role Curry created, not appearing in the film adaptation with which Curry was also associated.

AussieTheatre’s earlier coverage reported Evans’s casting, his connection to the musical and the Broadway debut then ahead of him. That report predated Curry’s death and Evans’s publication of the letter. The new chapter is the completed Studio 54 engagement and the letter Evans chose to share after Curry died, rather than another casting announcement.

Evans’s departure did not end the Broadway revival. Broadway.org officially lists THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW as continuing at Studio 54 through 28 February 2027. The scheduled run therefore extends beyond his limited engagement, with that date remaining the production’s next confirmed milestone.

Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com