Amber Gray has embraced the role of Riff Raff in the current Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show with a sense of personal triumph.
The Roundabout Theatre Company production opened April 23 at Studio 54, where it runs through July 19. Gray becomes the first cis female to play the part on Broadway.
Her connection to the character stretches back to age 13, when she first encountered the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. "As a teenager, somebody who was really shy, I wanted to be the feral one," Amber Gray, the Broadway performer, said. "I found them feral."
Gray spoke to Playbill about how the role allowed her to channel an uninhibited persona that appealed to her younger self. The revival gives her the platform to explore that energy in front of live audiences each night.
Beyond the stage, Gray appears in the live stage film of Hadestown. The project features the original Broadway cast reprising their roles, with Gray as Persephone. It will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 8 before opening in theaters on July 24.
The film captures the Tony-winning musical's distinctive blend of myth and music through the lens of the original ensemble. Theatergoers familiar with the stage version can look forward to seeing those performances preserved in a cinematic format.
