Porgy and Bess Star Joshua Henry Remembers Hitting on Hot Girls and Playing in a Cover Band

As kids all over America head back to school, Broadway.com decided to ask our favorite Broadway stars to look back at their own years in the classroom—and share a school picture! Tony nominee Joshua Henry, who went from high school jock to Broadway star in Porgy and Bess, recalls his trouble with math class and picking up girls and singing in the sprightly named cover band Peanut Butter and Jam Session.

What class did you dread and why?
I dreaded math class because my dad taught it at my high school. I love my dad, but it was a high-pressure situation since he is a math genius.

In which extracurricular activities did you participate?
In my junior and senior years of high school, I tried to do everything: played soccer, basketball, was president of student council, and was in choir, musicals and plays. In my senior year, I also played guitar and sang in a cover band called Peanut Butter and Jam Session. I've always loved the idea of trying to be good at a lot of things. Luckily, I've come to understand that that's what the entertainment business is all about.

What was your most embarrassing school moment?
I feel like these moments usually happen somewhere between middle school and early high school. Of course, mine came my senior year when I thought I was all cool. I was trying to tell the most beautiful girl on campus that I was really into her, but I got so nervous, I ended up blurting out, "You’re just, you look like an angel." Needless to say, whatever morsel of her was into me wasn't anymore. Lesson #30: Practice your poker face.

In school you would have been named “most likely to…”
In middle school, most likely to become a standup comedian. In high school, most likely to become a professional athlete. No prediction led me to Broadway, but I sure am glad to be here.

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