C. David Johnson on Getting Hooked on Broadway and Romancing Tony Sheldon in Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Age & Hometown: 55; Montreal, Canada

Current Role: Making his Broadway debut as Bob, the rugged Australian mechanic who falls for aging transsexual Bernadette (Tony nominee Tony Sheldon) in the flashy musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Laying Down the Law: While Johnson is one of the few Priscilla actors not dressed in drag, his first stage experience was in summer camp productions of Gilbert & Sullivan, complete with robes and kabuki makeup. He was instantly hooked. “I have a report card that said, ‘If David spent a little less time on drama and little more time at his books, his marks would be better,’” he recalls with a laugh. A job at a local theater ended Johnson's plans to study biology in college but led to a steady acting career in Canada, including an eight-year stint on the hit TV series Street Legal. “It taught me a lot of Canadian law,” he says. “Growing up, I knew more about American law from Perry Mason!”

What About Bob? As Bob, Johnson plays the “straight” man to the show’s flamboyant drag queens. “He has such a sense of wonder in everything,” the actor says of the character. “When the Priscilla bus arrives and there’s all these costumes and the girls are getting made up, he’s just so curious.” The unhappily married Bob’s eagerness even leads to a fling with transsexual Bernadette, played by Tony nominee Tony Sheldon. “When Tony is in full drag with that Bernadette look on his face, he really is charming and easy to fall in love with. Once we’re backstage I’ll turn and say something to him and I’m always shocked to hear his real, deep baritone voice!”

The Great Outdoors: Johnson’s ambitions to be a wildlife biologist may have been sidelined by acting, but he still nurtures a love of nature. “I grew up in a family with lots of hunting, fishing, camping, skiing…we were always outdoors.” So how is he handling the concrete jungle of Manhattan? “I’m loving it,” he says. “Once in a while the city feels a little restrictive, so I need to get into the open spaces.” He can’t stay away for long, though, due to Priscilla’s demanding schedule. “Everyone should be wearing hardhats backstage,” he quips of the production's fast-paced costume and set changes. “I’d always wanted to come to New York, but I never imagined it happening in such a huge, colorful, splendiferous show.”