Luke Evans is laced tight as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the Broadway revival of “The Rocky Horror Show” at Studio 54. Michele Crowe/CBS
Luke Evans is giving new meaning to breathless anticipation.
The actor, 47, told Seth Meyers on Wednesday’s “Late Night” that the corset he wears as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Broadway’s “The Rocky Horror Show” leaves him fighting for air.
“The corset constricts you,” he said. “And of course, I’m singing these big rock songs and having to sing big, big notes.”
The Welsh actor told Seth Meyers he stashes oxygen tanks in the wings to get through the show. Paula Lobo/NBC
He performs up to eight shows per week in corsets, fishnets, a wig and towering heels. Michele Crowe/CBS
Bouncing around the Studio 54 stage up to eight nights a week while “thinking I’m 22 years old and I’m not,” he added, “is quite a feat.”
His fix waits just offstage. “In the wings, I have oxygen tanks,” Evans said, explaining that the theater turns swampy on humid New York nights.
“I run off and they’re dabbing me down and I’m taking a big gulp of oxygen.”
The towering patent leather boots, by contrast, he called “weirdly” comfortable, crediting grips on the soles and five weeks of rehearsal spent on tiptoe. In them, he estimated, he stands roughly 6-foot-8.
“My legs have never looked better,” the Welsh star said. “I can skip leg day now without feeling any guilt.”
In the heels, the “Beauty and the Beast” star stands about 6-foot-8. rockyhorrorbway/Instagram
“My legs have never looked better,” he laughed, joking that he can now skip leg day. BACKGRID
Costume designer David I. Reynoso, himself a Tony nominee for the revival, built much of the alien mad scientist Frank-N-Furter’s wardrobe from deliberately cheap materials, including one dress trimmed with ribbons snipped out of trash bags.
“We wanted to have that spirit in the production that it felt like it was made out of materials that you recognize,” Reynoso told Broadway.com.
The revival opened April 23 at Studio 54, and Evans collected his first Tony nomination two weeks later, one of nine for the production.
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Evans earned his first Tony nomination for the role — his Broadway debut after decades on screen. Nina Westervelt/CBS
He performed “Sweet Transvestite” in full costume during the June 7 CBS telecast. BACKGRID
He walked the Radio City Music Hall red carpet on June 7 in a white Balenciaga tuxedo alongside partner Fran Tomas, but missed out on the trophy to Joshua Henry for “Ragtime.”
Extreme lacing has left other stars short of breath. Kim Kardashian studied breathing techniques with corsetier Mr. Pearl before her 2019 Met Gala appearance.
“The Rocky Horror Show” plays Studio 54 through Nov. 29.
