
Bass Hall
Jay Armstrong Johnson as Christian in "Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” playing Bass Performance Hall June 10–15.
Jay Armstrong Johnson has always been a showstopper. Raised in Fort Worth, he got his start singing in church and performing in community theater before launching a Broadway career that includes roles in "Hair," "On the Town," "The Phantom of the Opera," and "Parade." He’s also known for his scene-stealing turns in the TV drama "Quantico" and the cult-favorite Halloween cabaret "I Put a Spell on You," which he created and stars in annually as a glitter-drenched tribute to "Hocus Pocus."
Now, after years in New York and on international stages, Jay Armstrong Johnson is coming home to Fort Worth — this time as the leading man in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” playing Bass Performance Hall June 10–15. He stars as Christian in the national tour, a role that allows him to belt out his heart eight times a week in pop-meets-Broadway anthems like “Your Song,” “El Tango de Roxanne,” and “Come What May.” For Johnson, it’s a full-circle moment: he once danced and sang on that very stage as a student. Now, he returns as a Broadway star—his childhood dream fully realized.
Fort Worth Magazine: You're in a cast that's about to bring you home. How does that feel?
Jay Armstrong Johnson: I can't believe it.
FWM: I noticed your 817 number—that's definitely Fort Worth.
JAJ: Oh yeah. We're never getting rid of the 817. I might get it tattooed on my body, actually.
FWM: Tell me a bit about where you grew up and where you went to high school.
JAJ: I grew up right off of the Las Vegas Trail. So the West Side for sure. And I kind of always had the theater bug in me. I remember as early as kindergarten being the center stage turkey in the Thanksgiving pageant and really loving that. So that kind of planted the seed. I graduated from the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts. When I found out that there was a fine arts academy that actually believed in theater, dance, and singing more than football, I knew I had to go there because I didn't think that Boswell High School would do it for me, which is where I would've gone.
I was a dance major actually at Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts. I'd a always been a singer — I sang at church, in the church choir, which is how I got into theater. My friends in the church choir were part of a theater company in Fort Worth at's no longer around, but I auditioned there as a kid and got a role my first time out.
So while I danced in high school, I decided to go to college at New York University for voice. I went to NYU Steinhardt School of Music as a vocal performance major, and then I dropped out my junior year to go on tour with a chorus line, and I haven't looked back since.
FWM: What did you personally want to bring to ‘Moulin Rouge!’ that only you could bring?
JAJ: I’ve loved Baz Luhrmann’s film so very much. I fell in love with it as an 11- or 12-year-old when it first came out. I kind of knew because of the theatrical nature of the film that it would somehow make its way to the stage. I told myself as a 12-year-old, ‘When Moulin Rouge becomes a musical, I will play Christian.’ I told myself I’d play it on Broadway, but the national tour is the next best thing.
What I hope to bring to Christian, that I may not have seen other Christians bring, is a kind of playful comedy approach, particularly in the first act. The character — he's wild. He feels before he thinks for sure. Of course it gets tragic at the end, but if you don’t start the show off really vibrant and buoyant and funny, then there’s no journey. I’m a bit of a class clown comedian, and I’m really happy my directors let me take him to a more goofy place than most Christians have gone so far.
FWM: Is there a particular song in the show that's especially challenging — or one that you love most?
JAJ: This is truly the hardest vocal role I’ve ever had in my career. Every single song has a really challenging moment. The journey has been how do I recreate it eight times a week and still make it powerful every show? I love singing ‘Roxanne.’ It’s toward the end of the show — and I’ve sung seven other songs before it. It’s like that rock number originally done by The Police and probably sung vocally not so trained, so it’s wildly, wildly challenging.
Most of my days are spent silent so that my voice can rest to be able to recreate it the next night — and sometimes two times the next day. It’s a dream role, and yet it’s a little bit of golden handcuffs in terms of my inability to go out with the cast after the show and have a beer. I’m not doing that these days. I kind of have to be silent in my solitude and prepare my body and my voice and my mind to do this intense thing eight times a week.
FWM: What are some of your vocal care routines for such a demanding role?
JAJ: First thing I do in the morning is drink lemon water — it breaks up any congestion that might be there. I’ve started taking Athletic Greens just so I know my body’s getting the nutrients it needs. Then I can let myself have my first cup of coffee. If my voice isn’t feeling ready, I use a personal steamer to lube up the cords. I do a physical warm-up — lots of yoga — to get my breath going and my blood flowing. The warmer my body is, the better my voice does.
I’ve actually found that if I warm up my voice too much before the show, I’ll gas it out. So I make sure it’s there with the baby cries and the sirens to make sure the range is there, but I really don’t spend a lot of time doing a vocal warmup. I let the first few numbers of the show be my warmup. My sound team on ‘Moulin Rouge’ is incredible — we have conversations regularly about where I am vocally, and they really help me out on days I need it. It’s a blessing.
FWM: Is there a particular moment in the show that still gives you chills?
JAJ: The transition from ‘Chandelier’ into ‘Roxanne.’ It’s some of the most brilliant stagecraft and lighting design I’ve seen in a long time. To be the center point of that transition is always exciting. I know ‘Roxanne’ is coming, so there are nerves there, but knowing what’s supporting me is so thrilling. It’s an honor.
FWM: What do you think is the secret to ‘Moulin Rouge's’ longevity and emotional impact — even for people who think they know the story?
JAJ: ‘Moulin Rouge!’ pulls from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Orpheus’ and ‘La Bohème’ — the story of two lovers who are star-crossed. We’ve heard these stories time and time again, and there’s a reason why they continue to be made.
Our show sits on the pillars of truth, beauty, freedom, and love. That’s always going to resonate with someone in the audience — if not all four.
You can’t go wrong with a show that has over 70 Top 40 pop tunes from the last 50–70 years. You’ve got David Bowie and Lady Gaga — there’s something for everyone. It’s a blast. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to cry — all the feels.
FWM: What personal lessons or reflections have stayed with you after living in this world night after night?
JAJ: Sacrifice is a crazy word. It’s so hard to be away from home — home being New York City for me. My partner’s back there, my little kittens are back there. To have left my home and my loved ones to go out and do this feels like a sacrifice.
Coming to Fort Worth, my first home, feels like a full circle moment. I long to play this role every night — I love it so much. And I also long to be back home once my contract is over.
So yeah, sacrifice and longing go hand in hand with a career in the arts, particularly when you’re on the road.
FWM: Are you planning to see friends and family while you're in town?
JAJ: Yeah, I’ve got about 25 people coming to the show on Friday the 13th, which feels kind of crazy. My family wants to hang out, go to dinners, and be social, and I’m going to do my best. But I’ve also let them know this is a hard role, and I spend a lot of my days quiet and alone so I can do the role.
Being in Fort Worth and knowing I’m going to have someone in the audience I know every night, I’m going to want to give it my all every single night. So we’ll hang, I’ll have a meal, and I’m going to try not to get in my head about it.
FWM: What does it mean to bring ‘Moulin Rouge!’ — and this character — to your hometown stage?
JAJ: To come back to Fort Worth, where I grew up doing shows and dreaming about Broadway, and now be here playing Christian — it's wild. It’s full circle. I’m bringing this character home with me. And that means everything."
Follow Jay Armstrong Johnson on Instagram at @jay_a_johnson