NPR broadcasts 5-song Rocky Horror set from Washington studio

Fans of the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show received a new live recording on October 30, 2026. The broadcast featured five songs performed by the cast of the current Broadway revival. The event took place at NPR's headquarters in the NoMa neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

The production has run for more than 50 years. The show and its film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, have maintained a dedicated audience base. The musical is known for its camp storytelling and specific audience participation rituals, such as the Time Warp.

The set list included Science Fiction Double Feature, Over at the Frankenstein Place, Hot Patootie, I'm Going Home, and The Time Warp. Anania opened the performance with Science Fiction Double Feature. Lorna Courtney and Kevin McHale performed Over at the Frankenstein Place as the characters Brad and Janet. Andres Quintero provided vocals for the track. George Salazar sang Hot Patootie, accompanied by Lynn Ligammari on saxophone. Jake Shears performed I'm Going Home as the character Frank-N-Furter.

The in-room audience participated in the final song, The Time Warp. The NPR staff and guests joined the cast in the choreography. The performance included standard audience actions such as jumping to the left and stepping to the right.

Jane Cardona served as the music director on keys. Nate Brown played guitar, and Winston Roye played bass. Shannon Ford played drums. The background vocals were provided by Jimin Moon, Renée Albulario, Boy Radio, Preston Perez, Star Quezon, Larkin Reilly, and Paul Soileau.

Mitra I. Arthur produced the segment. Maia Stern directed and edited the video. Josh Newell handled audio direction and mixing. Bobby Carter was the creative director. The videography team included Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, and Alanté Serene. Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez was the audio engineer. Ashley Pointer served as the production assistant. Zayrha Rodriguez took the photographs. Jackie Lay created the animation. Daoud Tyler-Ameen was the copy editor.

The Tiny Desk team included Dora Levite and Dhanika Pineda. Lars Gotrich edited the series. Suraya Mohamed and Sonali Mehta served as executive producer and executive director, respectively. Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, and Robin Hilton are the series creators.