Jimin Moon thought they might be falling out of love with theater.
Not in a dramatic, career-ending way. More in the quiet, creeping way that can settle into an artist's life after years of auditions, eight-show weeks, and the hustle of trying to make a life onstage.
Then came Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody and Broadway Bares, the annual burlesque spectacular benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS that returns this Sunday.
Now, the actor finds themself at the center of two of New York's buzziest queer productions during Pride Month, juggling performances, rehearsals and a packed audition schedule while rediscovering the thing that drew them to theater in the first place.
"I'm very much loving Broadway again," Moon says. "I'm loving musical theater. I'm loving New York. I'm loving being an actor."
Broadway audiences may recognize Moon from the Tony Award-winning revival of Sunset Boulevard, where they understudied Joe Gillis. Now, they're taking center stage as Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody, the acclaimed Off-Broadway musical parody about rival hockey superstars who find love.
Ahead, Moon chats about fandom culture, Broadway Bares, Nicole Scherzinger's pop star prowess, and the logistics of keeping their mother hydrated during New York City's Pride march.
Jay Armstrong Johnson and Jimin Moon in Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody. Moon stars as hockey superstar Shane Hollander in the Off-Broadway production
Matthew Murphy
Out: This Pride Month, you're appearing in two of New York City's most talked-about queer productions: Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody and Broadway Bares. What's it been like to spend June bouncing between those two worlds?
Jimin Moon: It's been a fucking blast. This is my third year doing Broadway Bares and it's just the most fun thing ever. The vibes are so good. The people are so lovely.
It feels like such a New York theater thing. Every year, everyone gets to come together and do this. I met some of my best friends in the world through Broadway Bares my first year doing it. You're providing meals, medication and housing through Broadway Cares, and you're having a ton of fun with your friends. It just feels really special.
How have you been balancing Heated Rivalry, Broadway Bares and everything else happening in your life right now?
My calendar app. But honestly, it's been a really busy season. I had a big breakdown the other day because I got an audition notice with new sides and I was like, "Oh my fucking God."
I cried on my floor, crashed out and then said, "Get up, girl. Learn your lines."
But I've really been loving feeling so locked in. I think I was feeling a little burnt out on the industry for a while. Doing this show and the beauty of Broadway Bares and all the magic around it has reminded me how much I love Broadway.
I'm loving Broadway again. I'm loving musical theater. I'm loving New York. I'm loving being an actor. And then you just schedule the cries.
Jimin Moon and company perform in Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody
Matthew Murphy
In Heated Rivalry, you're bringing Shane Hollander to life, a character many fans have a deep connection to. What has surprised you most about sliding into Shane's skates?
I'm such a fandom kid. I have two Pokémon tattoos. I was a massive Hunger Games nerd, a Harry Potter nerd, a Marvel nerd. Fandom runs deep inside of me. So I'm obsessed with how much people love this story. It makes me so happy.
I think so much of our day-to-day life is really fucking hard these days. Having groups of people come to our show with their friends, then be so sweet outside afterward about having had a great time, that's what I care about. I just like that people are happy.
What's the most Shane Hollander thing about you, and what's the least Shane Hollander thing about you?
The most Shane Hollander thing about me is definitely the ambition.
I'm very much a perfectionist when it comes to my career. I relate to the need to do things right and do them well. My dad immigrated from Korea when he was 30, so if I told my engineer father who moved here to create a better life for his kids that I was going to be an actor, I was like, "I have to be successful. God damn."
The least Shane Hollander thing about me? I don't really feel like Shane in my day-to-day life. Career-wise, sure. But otherwise, I'm very much, "Fuck it, we ball." And my room's never clean.
Nicole Scherzinger performs during Broadway Bares 2025 alongside dancers, including Jimin Moon
Kate Mollison
This is your third Broadway Bares. What keeps pulling you back?
The people. My best friends, James Nguyen and AC Gottlieb, costumed me my first year doing Broadway Bares. I was 23, brand new to New York and felt like a bad bitch because I was a lead dancer. They're still my best friends today.
That's the magic of Broadway Bares. Everyone is doing it for charity and everyone wants to do their best work. In a lot of theater, because it's commercial, sometimes you're thinking about ticket sales or whether the show stays open. With Broadway Bares, you want to do a good job because you're proud of what you can do. Everybody's bringing their best because they genuinely care.
Last year, you found yourself backing up Nicole Scherzinger during Broadway Bares' now-iconic "Buttons" performance. What was that experience like?
Oh, it was such a ball. It was also incredibly last-minute. Nicole basically decided the week-of that she wanted to do Broadway Bares, so a lot of people worked really hard very quickly to make it happen.
But it came at such a special moment. We had just won the Tony for Best Revival. Nicole had won for Best Leading Actress. We knew the show was closing a month later because it was a limited run. The vibes were just so high.
It felt like a true celebration of everything we'd accomplished together. Those people were some of the best people I've ever gotten the opportunity to work with, and everybody was just having so much fun. We were all sweaty and exhausted and celebrating this incredible year we'd had together.
Watching Nicole Scherzinger perform "Buttons" at Broadway Bares nearly sent me into cardiac arrest.
No, literally. The coolest part was that we'd spent the entire year watching Nicole be this incredible theater actress. Then she walked into that rehearsal room and everybody was like, "Oh right. She's a pop star." Don't get it twisted.
Watching her do choreography she'd been doing for decades was insane. She walked in and immediately commanded the room. As a little faggot, I was like, "What the hell? This is what dreams are made of."
Jimin Moon performs during Broadway Bares 2024. The actor returns for their third year participating in the annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraiser this Pride Month Marc J Franklin What can we expect from your Broadway Bares performance this year?
I'm singing this year! I've never sung or talked in Broadway Bares before, so that's exciting. I'm in the opening number. The original song is sick as hell. J. Harrison Ghee is singing down.
I'm wearing black and looking hot. I'm going to say my lines and sing my song. And then, we're going to find out which spy lands on top.
What does Pride look like for you this year?
Oh my God. Busy. Also, my mom is walking the Pride March this year for the second year in a row.
My parents live in California, and she flew in last year to march. It was so precious. She almost passed out on the parade route because it was boiling hot and she decided she needed to wear black leggings and a black long-sleeve shirt underneath to block the sun.
This year we've discussed ways she can stay cooler so she doesn't pass out and I don't spend the whole parade thinking my mom's going to die.
Everyone should come to Pride because Heated Rivalry is going to have a float, which is going to be so fun. I'll get to do the parade with my mom and with the incredible company of Heated Rivalry, which feels really special.
It's also our first Sunday off. So I'm going to have a great 24 hours, and then sleep all day Monday until our show.
Get tickets to Broadway Bares at broadwaycares.org and Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody at heatedrivalryparody.com.
