Interview: From QUANTICO to 54 Below- Jay Armstrong Johnson Preps for His Eclectic New Show!

Broadway stages, concert halls, network TV... Jay Armstrong Johnson has conquered them all, and he's about to add even more to his list of accomplishments.

After appearing in last year's hit revival of ON THE TOWN and on the current season of ABC's QUANTICO, Johnson will soon premiere his personal, eclectic solo show at Feinstein's/54 Below. Joined by a full all-star band and special guests Lindsay Mendez (Wicked, Dogfight), Billy Lewis Jr. (Glee) and Todrick Hall, Jay will perform songs from Broadway to radio pop to gospel with fresh arrangements. Expect everything from Sondheim to Dixie Chicks as he presents an unbelievably personal evening celebrating all that theatre and music can be.

Jay checked in with BroadwayWorld earlier this week to tell us all about his inspirations for the show, preparations for the live album, and thoughts on his year at the FBI Academy. Check out the full interview below!

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Let's start by talking about your solo show. What's it all about?

I did a solo show a few years ago that was kind of put together by my representation at the time. Any time I would say something I wanted to do, I would kind of get shut down and thought, "Whatever, I'll do this show that's not really my show because it's what my reps told me to do." It was fun but it wasn't what I wanted my solo show to be. Ever since then I've had this dream of what I couldn't do, like every time I hear a song that I might want to cover that I think would be a good addition, I would write it down. For the past three years it's kind of been these culminating thoughts and feelings and music. And then finally Jennifer Ashley Tepper, who's a college buddy of mine, and is a published author and theatre historian, she asked me if I would do a few nights. I jumped at the opportunity to execute what I've been planning over the last three years or so.

Ah, so now you get to really do your thing!

Exactly. Really the whole show is based off this scene from Sister Act 2 where Whoopi Goldberg is teaching the music class about the word 'Eclectic' and how it affected her as a musician. And since that monologue about this word I kind of lived my life on those terms as well- to be open to different forms and styles of music. And especially as an actor being in musical theatre, you've got your pop shows and your rock shows and your 80s shows... there's all kinds of musicality on Broadway these days. That's what the set is is. It's kind of my life and the songs that have affected my life. Mostly I wanted to make sure the set list was so vastly different from every song. So I do a little country, I do a little pop, I do a little alternative rock, a little musical theatre, a little jazz, a little contemporary musical theatre, a little classical music theatre, R&B. I'm trying to run the gamut and play with some friends of mine that are ridiculously talented.

Let's talk more about them. Todrick, Lindsay, Billy... that's a great group!

Yeah! I've known Lindsay for 7 or 8 years. We've been singing together since way back in the day and I've loved watching her star rise with DOGFIGHT and then WICKED. I saw her make her play her debut. She's my girl. I actually asked her to do this concert and she said yes, and then NERDS: THE MUSICAL happened and so she had to drop out, and then NERDS didn't happen, so now she's back on board.

Well at least it worked out for one of you.

Yeah, it's great for me! [Laughs] I'm actually glad the way it all worked out. She's one of my favorite jazz vocalists out there, she's done a lot of albums of her jazz work, so she's gonna join me for some of my more jazzy numbers of the evening, which I'm really excited about. And Billy, he's become a fast friend of mine because he's actually best friends with my boyfriend. They grew up together and did theatre together, so he's become one of my boys. I love him, I loved watching him on GLEE a year or so back. He kind of blew up after GLEE happened, and I was like "Oh hey, TV star," and now I'm doing my show so he's like "Hey, TV star." He's also such a brilliant vocalist and he's a guy that I hang out with on a regular basis, so he's gonna be singing back up for me and also being a guest artist. So he'll be on stage with me the whole time. And Todrick Hall... YouTube sensation and TV's Todrick Hall. I've known him since I was about 15.

Really?

Yeah. He grew up in Arlington, and I was in Fort Worth, so we were towns right next to each other in Texas and I met him illegally going to an audition for Mary Kay Cosmetics Industrials. I was 15 years old and you were supposed to be 16 to audition, but I auditioned anyway because they weren't checking IDs and I ended up getting the job as a 15 year-old and Todrick got the job as well as an 18 year-old and we became buddies and we worked on Mary Kay Cosmetics Industrials for a summer. We made so much money wearing the most ridiculous pink outfits you've ever seen in your life! [Laughs] Just dancing for our supper. And then he hooked me up and got me a job at Six Flags Over Texas for next year.

I've been watching that crazy guy do all the things over the last 10 years or so. I am flabbergasted that he even committed to a night of my concert. I actually called him and he was on some set of some sort of TV show and was like "Talk fast I have to go on set," and I was like "Oh, Ok! I just want you to do my show. Will you do my show?" And so it took about a month of us figuring schedules out because of all his tour dates and he is truly one of the busiest artists out there right now, so I am truly honored that he's coming out to sing a song with me.

That's so exciting!

I know, right? He's the parody king, or queen, if you will, so he's gonna be joining me on stage for a gospel parody moment, so that should be really fun.

Plus you're planning on recording a live album for this, right?

Because the show has been in my mind for three years, and when 54 Below asked me to do three nights, I was like, "Oh that's great, 3 nights to do the show," but something about it made me sad to have it be over after 3 nights. It was really kind of devastating for me because the work that's gone into the show I wanted to live on longer. And I've always had people ask me, "Do you have an album?" but it's always been just a question. So I just decided to go for it. I met with Broadway Records to talk about what it would be like to produce it and the costs it would take and we went for it.

My Indiegogo campaign was just launched last week. I think we're about 12% funded, which is great, a little bit around $3,000 funded, a but we gotta get the other "0" to 30,000. It's an 8 piece band and 3 back of sings and 3 guest artists and it's a huge endeavor. I didn't really plan to make much money off the event, but I hope to pay my friends for their time and talent. They're really coming on board as a favor to me to make one of my dreams come true of recording a live album.

[CLICK HERE to help fund Jay's live album!]

In the description of the show there is mention that you're someone who: "knows music and theatre saved your life." What do you mean by that?

Growing up in Texas in 90s, being a kind that likes to dance around and sing, wasn't necessarily a path a young man in Texas should be taking. I didn't know I was gay back then, but I guess 3rd graders could smell it on me, so I was pretty ridiculed as a child for maybe being a little more feminine than my other male counterparts. But, when I found theatre, it was around the same time my parents got divorced, so there was this thing that I was good at, and there was this thing I was popular at. Because I was good at it I was popular in this group, and when I started going to an arts school and did shows at community theaters, my life changed in that moment. I went from being the gay kid that got bullied every day to being the star of all the shows that had a bright future on Broadway. I guess that's how it changed my life. If music and theatre hadn't really swept me up, then I don't know? I could be married with children in Dallas, hating my life.

This show is just one of many things happening for you right now, because you are on QUANTICO! What's that experience been like for you?

I gotta thanks the theatre gods again. Josh Safran, our show runner and creator, is a huge theatre geek and he was also the show runner on SMASH. He's this huge guy that happens to be in this world of TV and film that I don't know anything about and he has seen me in a few things over a few years. So I got an audition for QUANTICO six or seven months back for a different role and I got down to the very end for it and it didn't go my way. Then they called me in for Will. To think that theatre got me my first TV show, a lot of people don't think it works that way, but it guess it does! I mean I did an Off-Broadway show for $200 a week one year and it got me a Drama Desk Award. You never know what little things you can be doing that can really change your life!

I'm, learning so much. It's not a world I'm familiar with. I didn't study TV/film acting. I didn't even really study acting- I've only been an singer/dancer my whole life. It's also such a high production value. The budget is huge, so I'm not stepping into some indie film or web series. It's like a big time! I'm being very aware and I'm learning from all my actor and director people. It's been a whirlwind and I'm keeping cross for a second season for myself.

I also read that the ON THE TOWN cast is reuniting soon. That's pretty exciting, too!

I am so excited! Number one because San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the world. And Number two is it's with my buddies! I mean Clyde [Alves] and Tony [Yazbeck] and I became such good friends at Barrington Stage Company because we shared a house, we shared a dressing room, and we shared a show together. And that summer we became inseparable. And Alysha [Umphress] is one of my best friends in the entire world now. I'm just excited to be back with my friends and to do the show we're all familiar with and that we love so much and not have to do any dancing. [Laughs]

Yeah, your cast always seemed so tight...

Yeah, it was such a grueling show, physically. It was almost like we were war buddies, all of us, and everyone had a wrap or a cast. It was a grueling show but also one of the most fun experiences I've ever had.

Can we talk about "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend"? You were a show stopper at Broadway Backwards!

I can't believe it worked out! I wanted to to Broadway Backwards so bad. It's one of those events that i've looked at and coveted ever since I've heard about it. But I was doing QUANTICO at the time. I had no idea I was gonna have a few weeks off from production to come in and do it. So when they released me from a few episodes, and it happened to be during the same exact time, it just worked out beautifully.

Look at the month ahead of you, what are you most looking forward to?

I'm actually most looking forward reading the season finale of QUANTICO! [Laughs] We don't know what's going on just as much as the world knows what's going on. That script is gonna be coming in any day and I'll know how the whole season wraps up after that moment. I've been looking forward to that day for a while.

For tickets, visit: http://54below.com/artist/jay-armstrong-johnson/

Jay Armstrong Johnson has wowed Broadway audiences inOn The Town (Chip), Hands on a Hardbody (Greg), Hair( Claude), and Catch Me If You Can. The New York Times called his performance as Anthony Hope in the New York Philharmonic's Sweeney Todd "affecting and ardent," and his performance as Herman in Encores' Most Happy Fella "a standout." He is known for his thrilling vocal prowess in modern projects like Ryan Scott Oliver's 35MM (Galapagos Art Space, iTunes) and for his skill and charm at old-school song and dance in projects like Pirates! (The MUNY).