Doesn't it kind of miss the point if Frank is a woman?

I completely agree with the point, since Transgender and Transvestite are two completely different things.

The only thing I have to add to this conversation is that Laverne clearly didn't have a problem with it and so I just decided to try overlooking this factor and gave her a chance. She was definitely no Tim Curry, but she did okay as Frankenfurter, all things considering.

Either way, it was definitely an odd choice and maybe, since she was popular due to Orange is the New Black, that was why she was chosen?

The thing that irritated me the most is that they never bought up SHE pronouns until it came to the death part with Riff and Magenta. If they hadn't called Frank a SHE, it would have been fine enough til the end, but once they bought out that term, I was just cringing.

Well Laverne is transgender which is as bold as casting a man for the role and totally in the spirit of what Richard OBrien envisioned for RHPS.

Yes, she's a transgender woman, but that doesn't make her any less of a woman.

No resemblance to the original classic.

Seemed more like a bad remake of 'Glee'.

I think it ruins what happens to Brad. Brad was so confident of who he is and his sexuality that he ends up confused after having gay sex with Frank and enjoying it that all gets tossed aside when they make Frank so obviously a woman.

http://captain-smiley.livejournal.com/

Nobody and I mean nobody could top Tim Curry! That said, Laverne Cox was among the best of the bunch in this production.

Frank himself as a character was ground-breaking and a role-model because he was unapologeticly 'The Master' of the house and a man first and foremost, and then someone who was into make-up, womens clothing, and womens lingerie, ending with also being bisexual. He clearly loved being who he was and simply did (and went after) what he wanted regardless of societal 'norms' or expectations.

So now they've turned one of the great components of this idea, into a PC transitioned female, that still calls themselves Frank and yet has none of the sexuality??

Honestly if it wasn't called or related to "Rocky Horror" Laverne Cox wouldn't have or want anything to do with it.... Because it makes her look like a hypocrite, and demeans everything she had advocated against for so long... being reduced to just a man in womens clothes, when that's something she is not.

For so long she's been an advocate for bringing trans issues to the forefront and making people aware of the differences between a drag queen, a transvestite and a trans-gender person, and wanting someone who has transitioned to be given that full gender role they wanted.

Then she goes and does this and will sing and act about being a sweet transvestite as a woman and wanting to be treated as such? Eh. No. Sorry I just find it wrong on a number of levels.

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Riddle wrapped inside an enigma, wrapped inside a taco.

It's pretty amazing how a TV musical has brought out everyone's latent gender-politics expertise.

All these details about how the show is "ruined" if not portrayed by the correct person with the correct body parts.

Laverne Cox is no Tim Curry, but did a competent job as Frank. Insisting that song lyrics be taken and interpreted literally is a can of worms that would get people arrested. Theatrical roles are meant to be interpreted and re-interpreted, even when there is a movie that to most people "cements" a role in their heads.

Enjoy the show or don't, say whether you liked the individual performances or not, but don't attempt undermine both the concepts of gender identity and theatrical performance by insisting that people must pigeonhole themselves and others according to your specific individual worldview.