Cast Set For HEATED RIVALRY: THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY at Soulpepper Theatre

Soulpepper Theatre Company has announced casting for the limited engagement concert run of the off-Broadway pop-smash HEATED RIVALRY: THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY on stage this week, from July 9th to 12th at their historic Distillery District venue.

Stage and screen actor James Daly, know for his recurring role on Letterkenny and who was last at Soulepper in NARNIA is playing Ilya and Broadway's Aaron Alcaraz (Back To The Future, Here Lies Love, Mean Girls) is Shane, with Steffi D, Ron Pederson, and Shakura Dickson rounding out the cast performing the reading/concert presentation of the buzzy musical.

The show’s arrival coincides with one of the most exciting and playful moments in Toronto's theatre calendar, as Soulpepper once again hosts the Toronto Fringe Festival, which has all four performance spaces in the company’s building currently filled with new Canadian work and emerging artists presenting an energizing array of every kind of theatre imaginable.

The presentation equally reflects Soulpepper's commitment as Toronto's Civic Theatre, to creating a home for a broad spectrum of theatrical experiences and audiences. Alongside acclaimed classics, groundbreaking new Canadian works, and community-engaged civic programming, Soulpepper embraces opportunities to bring bold, unexpected, and culturally resonant productions to Toronto stages. 

“What excites me about Heated Rivalry is how naturally it belongs at Soulpepper,” comments Soulpepper Theatre Artistic Director Paolo Santalucia. “Theatre is one of our great civic binders — and this piece has already galvanized a passionate global community, offering a thrilling reminder of what Canadian work can do: take up space with joy, humour, sensitivity, and subversiveness. It also reminds us how much fun theatre can be — how great it feels when we get to celebrate Canadian artistry that travels far beyond our borders. To bring that energy into our home, alongside the momentum of the Fringe and on the heels of Pride Month, feels like exactly the kind of cultural moment Soulpepper should be helping to amplify.”

Inspired by the landmark series, HEATED RIVALRY: THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY follows starry-eyed golden boy Shane Hollander on his journey from power center to power bottom, reliving all the moments from the show that made audiences wet (with tears). Sporting a bop-infused score, scene-stealing cameos by characters like "Rose Landry" and "Ilya's Ass", and time jumps absolutely no one can keep track of, the show, which began previews off-Broadway at New York City’s The Culture Club in May, has been a runaway hit and pop culture juggernaut from the moment the puck hit the ice.  

Written by US based writer and composer Dylan MarcAurele, a music graduate of Harvard University and 2025 Jonathan Larson Grant winner, MarcAurele was inspired to write the musical after binging the original series in one sitting.  He then partnered with New York-based Canadian director-producer Alan Kliffer to bring the show to life. 

“With the great success of our show in New York, I am so thrilled to be bringing our love letter to ‘Heated Rivalry’ home to Toronto this summer,” Kliffer shared.

The musical comes to life as a comedic mash up grounded in queer pop culture fandom, with clever nods to musical theatre classics, and fully embracing cheeky camp. The originating production stars seasoned Broadway regulars – Jay Armstrong Johnson as Ilya and Jimin Moon as Shane Hollander. For the Toronto concert presentation, casting will be announced closer to the performance and will feature a predominantly Canadian cast.

 

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