Susan Sarandon and Megan Mullally Make Surprise Visit at Bay Street Theatre's The Rocky Horror Show Live!

Bay Street Theatre's most recent performance of The Rocky Horror Show Live was anything but routine. On Saturday, Oct. 21, unbeknown to the cast, actresses Susan Sarandon and Megan Mullally were watching.  

For the small team who knew it would be a star-studded audience, the pressure was on. Sarandon played Janet Weiss, the show's iconic heroine, in the 1975 version of the musical horror film.

Erin Muller, the narrator and lighting designer for this year's show shared, "It was truly a once in a lifetime experience to have the original Janet attend (and love) our show!" Bay Street Theatre has been producing The Rocky Horror Show Live since 2009.

Sarandon and Mullally's visit was made possible through friends of the theatre and a Rocky Horror Show alum in the film industry. Of course, the small group that knew of their attendance was thrilled. For the rest of the cast members, the surprise was revealed right after curtain call at the end of the show.

Cast members shared their reactions:

"Words cannot express the roller coaster of emotions I was feeling. It was hard keeping this big secret from the cast. Susan and Megan were so gracious and kind. Not many directors can say that Susan Sarandon came to see their version of the Rocky Horror Show! This is a moment I will be talking about for the rest of my life,." - Trey Norris (Director)

"Not in my wildest and untamed dreams would I have ever thought we would have Academy award winning actress and original Janet Weiss Susan Sarandon in our audience, and to be joined by Emmy award winner and Broadway powerhouse Megan Mullally, it’s just indescribable. To have performed for them is a once in a lifetime event, and to have met them leaves me on cloud nine. They were incredibly gracious and kind, and very complimentary of our show. The phrase ‘never meet your heroes’ does not apply here. They were wonderful!" - Travis Harold Coles (Riff Raff and Bay Street Theatre Executive Producer)

"When I agreed to step into the role of Janet Weiss for the second time in my time at Bay Street Theatre, I was excited for the opportunity to revisit my very first role in Rocky Horror. What I didn't expect was the once in a lifetime (and incredibly nerve-wracking) opportunity to perform it in front of its originator. I'm so thankful for the wonderful cast and crew of this show and to Mrs. Sarandon and all who accompanied her for taking the time to come and see our little slice of theatre in Savannah." - Hannah Dodson (Janet)

"What an incredible honor to perform Rocky Horror for the original Janet! I could have never imagined that would be an opportunity for myself or anyone in my Bay Street Theatre family! To then have BOTH Susan Sarandon and Megan Mullally in the audience is something I'll never forget. What a hard secret to keep! I was able to see their reactions for a lot of the show and friends in the audience confirmed they were having a great time! Hearing how much they loved the show from them directly is an indescribable high point in my life." - Erin L. Muller (Narrator and Lighting Designer)

"It was so unexpected and thrilling! Most of us in the cast had no idea who was in the audience and within minutes of taking our curtain call, a new item was added to my bucket list and checked off. So grateful that we were given this amazing opportunity to perform for someone so legendary, so gracious and deeply rooted in the history of Rocky Horror." - Christopher Blair (Dr. Scott)

"I was just in awe that they were able and willing to come see the show with their busy filming schedule. When we heard they actually wanted to meet us afterwards, it was just icing on the cake. So many of us in the cast and crew have done the show for years and to hear Susan Sarandon talk about how well executed it was, is a once in a lifetime moment we won’t forget!" - Valerie America Lavelle (Magenta)


"I got a chance to play "VIP Host" for Ms. Sarandon and Ms. Mullally and spending time with them was a delight. They were both incredibly gracious and seemed to have fun; cheering, dancing in their seats, and doing callbacks. Ms. Sarandon said she wished she had gotten up on stage to do the "Time Warp" with the cast at the end and now we're all trying to actively work on "warping time" so we can go back and make that happen." - Rick Garman (House Manager)

"As a longtime “Frankie” fan, seeing this movie so more times in my youth than I can count, and then becoming a part of the amazing stage production with The Bay Street Theatre it was a thrill of a lifetime to meet Susan Sarandon, the legend of Janet, and hear how complementary she was, it was a perfect day!" - Angela Patenaude (Stage Manager)

"Hearing Susan Sarandon and Megan Mullally shout Rocky Horror callbacks in The Bay Street Theatre is something I will cherish forever. Not only did they make the time to support our local theatre, but they also met the cast and crew afterwards to offer encouraging words. What an honor!" - Cami Nicole Hall (Sound Engineer)

"Susan Sarandon said she was going to make her photo with our cast her Christmas card this year, and I'm beyond thrilled to now be a member of her family! Also, confessing my love to her as well as Megan Mullally in person? Life-changing." - Helen Valenzuela (Usherette)

"I felt the same star-struck feeling that children at Disney feel."- Lauren Ledger (Columbia)

Sarandon, who was seen laughing and singing in the audience,  congratulated the cast for a show well done. For all those in attendance, it's a performance they won't soon forget.