THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (2016): Annaleigh Ashford Cast As Columbia [Fox]

Annaleigh Ashford joins The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Tony Award winner will be playing the character of Columbia on Fox‘s TV remake of the campy 1975 musical.

A veteran stage actor, Ashford brings a strong theatrical background to the table. She received her first Tony nomination for her performance in the acclaimed Kinky Boots, a production with music and lyrics penned by singer Cyndi Lauper and a book by Mrs. Doubtfire actor Harvey Fierstein. More recently, she has appeared on-stage alongside Matthew Broderick in the A.R. Gurney play Sylvia and on-screen opposite Martin Sheen on Showtime‘s Masters of Sex. In addition, Ashford played a supporting role in 2008’s Sex and the City: The Movie.

She is set to play Columbia on the new Rocky Horror adaptation. Famously portrayed by Nell Campbell in the original film, the character is fondly remembered amongst fans for her bedazzled gold clothes,  excitable nature, and her tap-dancing in the movie’s iconic “Time Warp” scene. It will be interesting to see if Ashford’s incarnation of Columbia hews closely to Campbell’s or if she will take the role in a very different direction.

Indeed, considering the amount of time that has elapsed between the remake and the original film, it would be no surprise at all if thousands tuned into the program when it debuts later this year to see how Fox handles it. The presence of noteworthy actors like Ashford and others will no doubt pique the interest of many:

Ashford joins previously announced cast members Laverne Cox (Dr. Frank-N-Furter, “Orange Is the New Black”), Victoria Justice (Janet, “Victorious”), Ryan McCartan (Brad, “Liv & Maddie,” “Heathers: the Musical”), Adam Lambert (Eddie, “Glee”), Reeve Carney (Riff Raff, “Penny Dreadful,” “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”), Staz Nair (Rocky, “Game of Thrones”) and Tim Curry, the original Frank-N-Furter, who returns as the show’s Criminologist Narrator.

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