Rosie O’Donnell has returned to Broadway after more than two decades away, taking over as the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show at Studio 54.
The comedian and talk show host, a 12-time Emmy Award winner, succeeds Rachel Dratch in the production. O’Donnell is scheduled to remain in the role through October 18.
For O’Donnell, the engagement is a return to the stage she once viewed as her ultimate professional destination. Speaking with Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek, she said her excitement about the comeback was rooted in a longstanding connection to Broadway.
“I could not be more thrilled,” O’Donnell said. “In all my career, the only place that lives up to the dream of showbiz is Broadway. It’s where I originally wanted to be.”
She recalled that even when others encouraged her to pursue stand-up comedy, her focus remained on performing on Broadway.
“That was my goal, the destination,” she said. “It wasn’t movies, it wasn’t TV, it was right here in the heart of the city.”
A Broadway Homecoming
O’Donnell’s earlier Broadway credits include Grease, Seussical and Fiddler on the Roof. Her appearance in The Rocky Horror Show brings her back to Broadway more than 20 years after her previous work there.
The audience made the significance of that return clear from the moment she arrived onstage. O’Donnell received a standing ovation before delivering her first line, a response that caught her off guard.
“I had never seen anyone get a standing ovation before they speak as they enter the stage,” she said, adding that she initially did not know how to respond.
The Narrator role places O’Donnell at the center of the production’s storytelling while giving Broadway audiences a chance to welcome back a performer who has openly described the stage—not movies or television—as her original ambition.
ShowBiz Take
O’Donnell’s casting carries weight beyond a routine performer change. She is not only replacing Dratch for a scheduled stretch at Studio 54; she is ending a Broadway absence of more than two decades in a role that immediately generated an enthusiastic audience reception.
Her own comments also frame the return as a deeply personal career moment. Despite her success as a comedian and talk show host, O’Donnell described Broadway as the place that most fully matches her idea of show business. That history gives her run in The Rocky Horror Show the feel of a homecoming as much as a new stage credit.
What Happens Next?
O’Donnell will continue as the Narrator at Studio 54 through October 18. Her arrival follows Dratch’s time in the role and gives audiences a limited window to see O’Donnell back on Broadway after her extended absence.