Luke Evans Went From Bloodied Thriller to Broadway Heels in Days
Luke Evans had one of those career whiplashes actors probably dream about: wrapping a dark, blood-soaked political thriller in Wales on January 30, then boarding a flight to New York on February 3 and preparing to strut down a giant staircase in heels as Frank-N-Furter.
Appearing on This Morning, Evans opened up about both ends of that tonal spectrum — his new ITV drama The Party and the Broadway run of The Rocky Horror Show that followed almost immediately afterward.
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Luke Evans Goes From Thriller to Heels
One minute he’s a blood-covered political journalist in The Party; days later he’s stepping into Frank-N-Furter’s boots on Broadway.
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The Party Starts With Luke Evans Covered in Blood
Adapted from Elizabeth Day’s novel The Party, the five-part series revolves around an extravagant birthday gathering at the country estate of Ben and Serena Fitzmaurice. Evans plays Martin Gilmore, a Welsh, working-class political journalist whose relationship with the wealthy, aristocratic Ben stretches all the way back to school.
The show moves across three timelines: the present-day party, Martin and Ben’s childhood and university years, and a police interrogation that effectively begins at the end of the story. Evans’ introduction is especially tidy in the “well, something has clearly gone very wrong” department: Martin is sitting in an interrogation room covered in blood.
Evans described the drama as having a little bit of Saltburn about it, with the story digging into the British class system, entitlement and the invisible doors opened by money, education and even the way somebody speaks. Martin gets access to Ben’s world through intelligence and adaptability, but his loyalty to Ben is obsessive — and the world he has worked so hard to enter is also toxic and destructive.
He Was the One Who Brought the Book to Producers
This was not simply a role Evans was handed. He read Day’s book during lockdown, saw the makings of a television drama and took it to World Productions, the company he had previously worked with on The Pembrokeshire Murders. Development stretched across roughly four and a half years.
There was also a little healthy self-interest involved. Evans laughed that he was, naturally, looking for a strong role for himself. But the attraction was bigger than Martin alone: the structure, secrets and class tensions made the material feel expandable into a full television thriller. Sarah Solemani adapted the novel and also plays Martin’s wife in the series.
Then Came the Heels, Studio 54 and Frank-N-Furter
The contrast could hardly have been sharper. Evans wrapped The Party in Cardiff on January 30, flew to New York four days later and almost immediately shifted into Broadway mode. Part of the preparation involved getting used to Frank-N-Furter’s boots — custom-made heels he wisely practiced in before having to make an entrance from the top of a giant staircase.
Evans admitted the footwear was no small challenge. Coming down stairs in heels while performing, and doing it without staring nervously at your feet, is apparently one of those theatrical skills nobody puts on the brochure.
The payoff was substantial. Evans made his Broadway debut, earned a nomination for Best Actor in a Musical and performed at the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in front of roughly 6,000 people. He remembered looking out and spotting names including Bernadette Peters and Nicole Scherzinger in the front row.
He described the whole New York experience as “magical,” particularly the pairing of Rocky Horror with Studio 54. For Evans, the venue and the show seemed to feed the same spirit — liberation, acceptance and audiences arriving ready to let go. After more than five decades, he said, the piece still carries that electricity.
There was just one less glamorous reality: putting on the full Frank-N-Furter makeup eight times a week. Even Evans admitted that part got a little boring. The heels, apparently, were only the beginning.
Watch Luke Evans Talk The Party, Broadway and Performing in Heels
Evans explains the three-timeline mystery of The Party, how he helped bring the adaptation to television, and the immediate leap from filming in Wales to playing Frank-N-Furter on Broadway.
Source: This Morning / YouTube. Images: This Morning video / YouTube.
