Jay Armstrong Johnson spoke with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos on the red carpet at the GLAAD GALA in New York City.
He is known for playing Ilya Rozanov in the Off-Broadway musical “Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody.”
On being at the GLAAD GALA in New York, he exclaimed, “It feels great. I love GLAAD so much. I love being gay!”
Importance of GLAAD
Regarding the importance of this cause, he said, “You know, the gays are out there. We always have been. This current administration wishes that we weren’t, but we ain’t going anywhere.”
“So, it’s important to show up, show out, celebrate queer joy, and support each other. It’s important,” he underscored.
“From tonight’s event, I want people to lean into that queer joy,” he said. “We’ve been through some tough times and have in the past, but we’ve always prevailed. So, lean into the joy! Celebrate each other. Have a good time. Lift each other up.”
‘Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody’
On being a part of this show, he remarked, “It has become such a phenomenon. It has become everything to me, really. It’s 80 minutes of my day where we just celebrate queer joy and tell a really important queer story and put our own spin on it.”
“Audiences are loving it, and we are selling tickets for the New Year now, and it’s just been this really amazing, wild wave of a ride that I’m just so happy to be a part of,” he added.
Lessons learned from this show
On the lessons learned from this show, he stated, “It taught me that if I study hard enough, I can do different dialects.”
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he revealed, “Reheated.”
Kaden Connors making a cameo in the show
On having Kaden Connors (“Heated Rivalry”) make a cameo and be a part of the show, he exclaimed, “Kaden killed it! That was so fun. That was a really good moment for us. I’m so happy he came to the show. Again, that was a lot of fun!”
Original cast album for ‘Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody’
Center Stage Records announced that Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording is available in streaming and digital formats as of September 18th.
The album features the original Off-Broadway cast including Jay Armstrong Johnson as Ilya Rozanov and Jimin Moon as Shane Hollander, with Ryann Redmond, Cherry Torres, Ryan Duncan, Shelby Acosta, and Daniel Brackett rounding out the ensemble. The album is produced by Lloyd Kikoler, co-produced by Dylan MarcAurele and Matteo Chavez Lewis, executive produced by Alan Kliffer, Christian Palomares and Sean Nyberg. To stream or download Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody, please visit orcd.co/hrcastalbum.
To learn more about Jay Armstrong Johnson, follow him on Instagram.
