HEATED RIVALRY: THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY to Make Canadian Debut at Soulpepper

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 will see all four performance spaces in the company's building 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. 

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. 

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.