Daily Show correspondent Troy Iwata to join Heated Rivalry musical parody
Troy Iwata, right, joins Jay Armstrong Johnson in Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody beginning Aug. 31.
Photo: Austin Ruffer
The Canadian-made Heated Rivalry phenomenon is getting another new Shane Hollander — this time on the Off-Broadway stage.
The Daily Show correspondent Troy Iwata will take over the role of Shane in Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody beginning Aug. 31 at The Culture Club in New York City. He will perform opposite Jay Armstrong Johnson, who continues in the role of Russian hockey star Ilya Rozanov.
Iwata succeeds Aaron Alcaraz, whose final performance is Aug. 30.
The casting marks a return to the New York stage for Iwata, whose theatre credits include both the Broadway and Off-Broadway productions of Be More Chill. He has also appeared in productions of Shrek the Musical, La Cage aux Folles and Waitress, while his television credits include Too Much, The Perfect Couple, WeCrashed and Dash & Lily.
The parody is riding the continued popularity of Heated Rivalry, the Crave series created by Canadian writer, director and producer Jacob Tierney and based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers book series.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie play hockey rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, whose secret relationship develops over several years. The series is produced by Canadian company Accent Aigu Entertainment in association with Bell Media's Crave.
What was originally planned as an eight-week Off-Broadway engagement has now been extended twice, with performances scheduled through Nov. 1. The fully staged production opened in May after a run of sold-out concert performances earlier in the year.
The parody also made its way back to Canada this summer. Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre presented an in-concert staged reading of Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody in July.
Written by Dylan MarcAurele and directed by Alan Kliffer, the musical takes a much less serious approach to Shane and Ilya's romance, exaggerating elements of the television series and its fandom while using an original pop-influenced score.
The current ensemble also includes Ryann Redmond, Cherry Torres and Ryan Duncan.
The production is also getting an original cast recording. Center Stage Records will release the album Sept. 18, featuring the original Off-Broadway company, including Jimin Moon as Shane and Johnson as Ilya. The first single, “Gym Song,” is already available.
Iwata begins performances Aug. 31, one day after Alcaraz's final show. Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody is currently scheduled to remain Off-Broadway through Nov. 1.
The Canadian-made Heated Rivalry phenomenon is getting another new Shane Hollander — this time on the Off-Broadway stage.