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J. Harrison Ghee is comfortable in the spotlight and has been since his days in the E.E. Smith High School show choir.
That experience began his journey to the bright lights of Broadway, where he is now starring in the hit musical “Some Like It Hot.”
On Sunday night, Ghee will be in the ultimate stage spotlight as a nominee for a Tony Award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical.
Broadway’s a long way from his hometown of Fayetteville, but Ghee has treasured every step. He credits his E.E. Smith show choir director, Sharon McNair, with cultivating his interest in stage performance.
“It was in our high school show choir that I first started cultivating my art,” Ghee said in an interview with CityView. “(McNair) was so influential to me. She taught me discipline, not just creatively, but in ways that have lasted through my whole life.”
The 76th annual Tony Awards, recognizing achievement on the Broadway stage, will be presented Sunday night in a ceremony to be broadcast on CBS. The show begins at 7 p.m. on CBS.
Ghee, 33, plays Jerry/Daphne in “Some Like it Hot,” which is based on the hit film starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. It features drag performances, which caused controversy when the film debuted in 1959.
In addition to Ghee, the show garnered a nomination for another Fayetteville native, NaTasha Yvette Williams, who is in the running for the award for best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical.
The theater bug
A 2007 graduate of E.E. Smith High School, Ghee said he spent most of his youth at church, school and Cross Creek Mall.
Besides participating in show choir, Ghee attended summer camp at Cape Fear Regional Theatre and said he saw its production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” each year.
“My brother James did more shows there, but I loved it,” Ghee said of Cape Fear Regional. “I performed at my high school. My first role was the Tin Man in ‘The Wiz.’”
He said his love for theater was sparked when his father gave him a VHS tape of a musical to watch. It lit a fire inside him.
“My dad gave me the VHS tape of ‘Porgy and Bess,’ and I watched it incessantly. When I moved to New York, I was going to play it safe as a public relations or communications major. However, I pursued my passion to live a life of happiness and fullness,” said Ghee.
He moved to New York right after his high school graduation and studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. His early professional jobs were at Tokyo Disney and on cruise ships.
Ghee was named by Variety Magazine as a “Broadway Star to Watch.” He originated the role of Andre Mayém in “Mrs. Doubtfire” and played Lola in “Kinky Boots” in Broadway productions. On television, Ghee has acted in HBO’s “High Maintenance,” Netflix’s “Raising Dion” and Fox’s “Accused.”
He said the process of adapting “Some Like It Hot” for the stage was collaborative, thoughtful and authentic.
“Our director, Casey Nicholaw, allowed me to be myself and allowed that to infuse and inspire the work,” said Ghee.
Nonbinary milestone
Ghee is making history as a first nonbinary actor to be nominated for a Tony Award. Nonbinary people may identify as an intermediate or separate third gender; identify with more than one gender or no gender; or have a fluctuating gender identity.
Ghee said his career success proves that anything is possible.
“I live by the mantra, ‘You have to free yourself to see yourself.’ I think oftentimes people see a fashion choice that I make and think they could never, but I have found a fuller version of myself in the human life I have embraced, not living in a conditionalized way,” said Ghee.
Most of his roles have been at least partly in drag, including Lola in “Kinky Boots,” a show for which he was the first established drag performer to play the part.
“It was very special to play Lola. It grounded me in truth in a different way and paralleled to my real life,” said Ghee.
He said the song “Not My Father’s Son” in the show reflects his relationship with his own father, Harry J. Ghee, who is pastor at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in the small community of Rex in Robeson County.
“It was cathartic and therapeutic to sing that every night. We are still growing daily, and my parents are extremely proud of me. They are just in awe of all that is happening and celebrating,” said Ghee.
His mother, Rae, will be his date to the Tony Awards.
Ghee hopes that his work will inspire others.
“For us creatives, we are imaginative and diverse. We can show art can be beautiful and effective. We need to celebrate humanity and remove restrictions,” said Ghee.
