by andrew j stillman
Currently starring as the dreamy, lovestruck Christian in the national Broadway tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Jay Armstrong Johnson is living out a longtime fantasy and sweating through it with willpower and discipline, performing eight shows a week.
“This is the cleanest my body has been since I was probably 15,” he told The RAGE Monthly with a laugh. “I’m not drinking alcohol, and I live like a monk these days.”
Johnson, who has spent the past decade as a character actor in Broadway shows like On the Town and The Phantom of the Opera, stated that the role of Christian has “taught me that I can actually lead a company.” “To do a role of this magnitude and this gravity and this vocal prowess has taken a lot out of me,” he said. “It’s taught me a level of discipline that I didn’t even know I had in me.”
It’s also a dream role in more ways than one. “Ever since I saw the Moulin Rouge movie, it’s been one of my favorites,” he said. “So I told myself that once it did become a stage show, I would play Christian one day. It’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, where the tour recently made a stop, Johnson said his passion for performing sparked at a young age. “I remember doing little pageants in elementary school and wanting to be the center stage turkey in the Thanksgiving pageant.” He added, “Not a lot of boys in Texas in the ’90s had that interest.”
After getting his start in the church choir and community theater, Johnson booked his first professional role at the age of 13 in his hometown. “It came naturally and easily to me, and it was the most fun,” he said. “It’s where I found my people, all my misfit weirdos that liked doing the things I liked doing when everyone else wanted to play football.”
In Moulin Rouge, Johnson now portrays a different kind of misfit: a bohemian writer who flees to Paris in pursuit of art, passion, and love. “Christian and I are a lot alike,” he said. “I left Fort Worth at the age of 17 to get to New York as fast as I could, in search of a life of the arts and love and following the thing I’ve loved since I was a kid.”
The upcoming stop in San Diego is also particularly special for Johnson. “San Diego is kind of a home away from home for me in terms of my career in my 20s,” he said. “I did Hands on a Hardbody at La Jolla Playhouse and The Last Goodbye at the Old Globe, which was like a Romeo and Juliet musical set to Jeff Buckley music.”
As for Moulin Rouge itself, Johnson stated that the show’s magic lies in its balance of spectacle and sincerity. “While there are moments of levity and humor, it’s about committing to each of those moments with reality,” he said. “I remember watching Audra McDonald in rehearsal once [in Sweeney Todd] and realizing the key was giving 110% in every single moment, whether it be rehearsal or on stage.”
For audiences—especially those who may not have seen the movie—Johnson said the jukebox format is part of the fun. “It utilizes over 70 Top 40 hits that span decades. Whether you’re a David Bowie fan or an Adele fan or a Britney Spears fan, there’s going to be something in the show that resonates with you.”
And yes, even after hundreds of performances, there are still moments that take his breath away. “When I’m singing ‘Your Song’ to Satine, I think about Ewan McGregor in the movie and how rich his voice sounds,” he said. “It grounds me and starts me on my journey every night.”
Tour life, of course, requires more than just emotional grounding. “I do a liquid IV packet every single show,” he said of his pre-show ritual. “I usually try to get a couple of sun salutations in. And I chug the most water. The cast will often see me running by during a quick change to pee.”
When the tour wraps, Johnson has a vacation on the books. “I’m excited to go to Croatia with my boyfriend and his family. It’s a two-week trip, half on land, half on sea.”
But there’s another goal on his vision board as well. “I kind of hope I get the chance to play this role on Broadway,” he said. “It would be nice to be back home in New York and do this thing on Broadway for a bit.”
Until then, you can catch Johnson living his dream as Christian when Moulin Rouge! The Musical hits the San Diego Civic Theatre for its two-week run from Tuesday, June 24 to Sunday, July 6. Get tickets at broadwaysd.com