Tony Award Winner J. Harrison Ghee Temporarily Out of Some Like It Hot, DeMarius Copes to Step In

J. Harrison Ghee will officially step out of Broadway’s Some Like It Hot for approximately six weeks to address an injury. Ghee, who won a 2023 Tony Award for their performance as Jerry/Daphne, shared the news in a video via their personal Instagram story. Ghee also announced that understudy DeMarius Copes will perform in the role during their hiatus.

“I will be out of Some Like It Hot for at least the next six weeks due to being about to undergo surgery to address some issues that have arisen,” Ghee said in the August 30 post. “I am okay. I will be okay. I am so at peace and grateful for this moment of a restoration, of healing to come.”

Ghee encouraged people to continue to patronize the production in their absence and to support Copes. “I got a wonderful opportunity to see him do the role and I am so incredibly proud of my friend for showing up, living out loud and filling this role with all of them[self],” Ghee said of Copes’.

Ghee’s return date has not yet been announced.

Some Like It Hot opened at the Shubert Theatre on December 11, 2022. Ghee made history as the first openly nonbinary performer to be named best lead actor in a musical. Their win was one of the production’s four 2023 Tonys, which also included Best Choreography, Best Costume Design of a Musical and Best Orchestrations.