Troy Iwata Slips into Shane Hollander’s Skates for “Heated Rivalry” Musical Parody — and He’s Having Pucking Fun Doing It (Exclusive)

‘The Daily Show’ correspondent tells PEOPLE about putting his own spin on the “so gay” hockey star, acting alongside his best friend of 12 years and the revealing stage moment even his mom can’t wait to see

NEED TO KNOW

• Troy Iwata is opening up to PEOPLE about stepping into the role of Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody
• The Daily Show correspondent says he sees Shane’s “golden boy, golden retriever” persona as a front for “the scared gay kid that we all were”
• Iwata also dishes on performing opposite his best friend of nearly 12 years, Jay Armstrong Johnson, and getting comfortable with the show’s revealing final moment

Troy Iwata is showing off more than his musical theater chops in Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody.

The Daily Show correspondent, 35, recently stepped into the role of Shane Hollander in the hit Off-Broadway spoof — a part that requires him to sing, dance, fall for his hockey rival and, in the show’s final moments, bare his behind to an audience full of Heated Rivalry fans.

For Iwata, who had never stripped down onstage before, getting comfortable with that last requirement took a little courage at first. But after more than a week of performances, the actor has discovered the anticipation is far more intimidating than the actual reveal.

“I really it just like ripping off a Band-Aid. Or like going on a roller coaster, where the idea of it is a little overwhelming, and then you do it and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, who cares?’ ” he tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Honestly, thank God it’s for one second, and then the lights go out.”

Even his mom appears unfazed by the idea of seeing her son show some skin.

“My mom is going to come. And I told her what happens, and she just went, ‘Ooh, fun,’ ” Iwata recalls with a laugh.

The revealing moment is just one of the ways Iwata has thrown himself into the deliciously over-the-top world of Heated Rivalry since joining the musical parody on Aug. 31, succeeding Aaron Alcaraz as Shane.

Iwata was already well acquainted with the hockey romance before signing on. “I mean, I’m gay, so I watched it,” he jokes, adding that he attended multiple watch parties for the Crave series, which streams on HBO Max in the U.S.

And while the show — adapted from Rachel Reid’s bestselling novel and starring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as rival hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov — became a breakout hit among LGBTQ+ audiences, Iwata believes another demographic deserves some credit for turning it into a phenomenon.

“I feel like people describe, ‘Heated Rivalry, it’s the gay hockey show,’ and it’s like, I know, but the people that really put it on the map and really love it are the moms,” he says.

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Now, Iwata gets to put his own spin on Shane eight times a week.

“To me, Shane gives this golden boy, golden retriever — that’s a wall that he puts up, and then underneath is the scared gay kid that we all were,” he says. “And so, he’s extremely lovable, and so gay, and he’s the last person that knows it, which I think is kind of the joke.”

“He’s really such a genuine, sunny, good person,” Iwata adds, noting that it’s the juxtaposition between Shane and the more brooding Ilya that “makes the magic on stage.”

Helping create that chemistry is Iwata’s longtime friend Jay Armstrong Johnson, who originated the role of Ilya in the parody.

The pair have been close for nearly 12 years, first meeting around 4 a.m. in a van taking them to the set of Quantico. Iwata remembers Johnson climbing into the vehicle wearing under-eye patches and large headphones before offering a memorable introduction.

“He was like, ‘It’s so nice to meet you, I need to meditate,’ ” Iwata laughs. “That was the first thing that Jay ever said to me.”

They’ve since performed together multiple times, including in a concert production of Rent, but Heated Rivalry has required the friends to get considerably more up close and personal.

“There’s lots of simulated intimacy on stage in a funny, campy way,” Iwata says. “So, in rehearsals, we had an intimacy rehearsal with an intimacy coordinator, and the first thing she said was like, ‘So, usually you get together, we rehearse these things because people don’t know each other …’ ”

Iwata and Johnson quickly informed her that wouldn’t be a problem. “We’re like, ‘We’ve been best friends for 12 years.’ And she was like, ‘Oh, well, we don’t need to do this then!’ ”

That longtime friendship is now at the center of a production that has grown considerably beyond what its creators initially envisioned.

Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody began with a series of concert performances before launching its fully staged Off-Broadway run in May. It has since been extended multiple times, with performances currently scheduled at The Culture Club in New York City through Nov. 1.

“It’s this sort of show that blew up a lot bigger than they realized,” Iwata says. “Everyone’s just kind of like, ‘Whoa.’ ”

Iwata credits writer Dylan MarcAurele with creating a show that manages to affectionately lampoon its source material while preserving the romance that made fans fall for Shane and Ilya in the first place.

“The show’s just so fun, and unnecessarily good for it being a musical parody,” he says. “There still feels like a lot of heart in it because you’re affiliating your love of the characters there, and you’re like, ‘Why am I feeling things?’ Because the show is so stupid in a good way.”

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The role also brings Iwata back to his musical theater roots. Long before joining The Daily Show, he studied musical theater and spent years performing onstage, including appearing in Be More Chill (both on and Off-Broadway) and in productions of Shrek the Musical, La Cage aux Folles and Waitress at The Muny.

“I feel like it’s interesting when people are like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you did musical theater.’ And it’s like, ‘Well, yeah, that’s where I started,’ ” he says. “I’ve been doing musical theater for 15 years.”

Iwata is now juggling his Heated Rivalry performances with his correspondent duties on The Daily Show, though he says both productions have worked together to make the demanding schedule possible.

“I love both jobs, so it doesn’t feel like when I think about doing both at the same time, it doesn’t feel exhausting because I love both equally and I’m excited to do both,” he says. “And so it’s going to be great.”

As for how long Iwata plans to keep playing Shane — and baring his behind — he’s not saying. “I want to keep everyone guessing,” he teases. “And then one day I’ll just be gone and everyone’s going to be like, ‘What?’ You got to keep the mystery alive.”

Johnson continues as Ilya, with Ryann Redmond, Shelby Acosta and Ryan Duncan rounding out the current ensemble.

An original cast album for Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody will be released by Center Stage Records on Sept. 18.

Tickets for Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody are now on sale through Nov. 1.

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