Kevin McHale made sure Cory Monteith was part of his first Broadway experience.
McHale included a brief tribute to his late Glee co-star at the end of his Playbill biography for The Rocky Horror Show. The message read, “For Cory, his forever Brad.”
The reference carried particular meaning because Monteith once played the same character McHale has now taken on professionally.
Glee alum Kevin McHale made his official Broadway debut as Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Show
During the second season of Glee, the series staged its own version of The Rocky Horror Show. Monteith’s Finn Hudson took the role of Brad Majors, opposite Lea Michele’s Rachel Berry as Janet Weiss.
Years later, McHale stepped into Brad’s shoes for his Broadway debut on Aug. 25. The 38-year-old joined The Rocky Horror Show in the role previously played by Andrew Durand.
McHale also found himself thinking about Monteith before taking the stage. On the morning of his debut, he wrote on X that songs Monteith had performed on Glee kept playing while he ate breakfast.
“Sitting at breakfast and it’s song after song Cory sang on Glee. That’s my Brad,” McHale wrote, adding a crying face emoji.
Monteith died in 2013.
McHale later celebrated his first Broadway performance with people close to him. Fellow Glee alum Alex Newell and McHale’s boyfriend, Austin McKenzie, were among those who attended.
“A little family, a little glee, a little Bee – I love my people! I guess I’m on Broadway now! Come see @rockyhorrorbway!” he wrote alongside a group photo.
The Broadway role arrived shortly after another theater project for McHale. He recently appeared in the off-Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Newell joined that production on Aug. 7, while McHale finished his run on Aug. 16.
His move to The Rocky Horror Show ultimately gave McHale a new stage milestone while also honoring a role closely tied to Monteith’s time on Glee.
