Backstage with Jahi Kearse of Moulin Rouge! The Musical

In the glowing world of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, where opulence and heartbreak collide in a kaleidoscope of light, sound, and spectacle, one of the show’s emotional anchors is Jahi Kearse. Portraying the iconic Toulouse-Lautrec, Kearse brings a grounded, soulful resonance to the whirlwind of romance, color, and class tension that defines the production. But before he became the heartbeat of this Broadway behemoth, his journey began in a place just as rich in culture — Atlanta, Georgia.

“I was born and raised in Atlanta,” Kearse says, settling into the story with the warmth of someone flipping through a cherished photo album. “My father was a painter and a carpenter, and the artistic director of The Arts Exchange. My mother was a cartoon illustrator and very active in the church.” From an early age, Kearse’s world was painted with creative influence—his father’s workshops and his mother’s choir rehearsals forming the backdrop of his childhood.

Jahi Kearse. Courtesy photo

A pivotal moment came at just eight years old when a church audition landed him a role in The Gospel at Colonus at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre. “It was starring Morgan Freeman and the Blind Boys of Alabama,” he recalls. “I had never even seen a play before, and suddenly I was in one. And so, through my parents, I was thrust into this magical world, and I was hooked.” The experience ignited a lifelong passion, leading him to the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta and eventually Tri-Cities High School, a performing arts school known for nurturing Black talent. “Luckily, I’ve been blessed to spend my entire life in and around the arts,” he says.

Jahi Kearse, Arianna Rosario, Andrew Brewer, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Robert Petkoff and Danny Burgos in the 2025 touring production of MOULIN ROUGE! Courtesy images

When asked what he loves most about being an actor, Kearse doesn’t hesitate to point to his early years in children’s theater. “There’s something magical about performing for young audiences — how much they were impacted by the storytelling, how far they were willing to go with us in their imaginations,” he reminisced. “Some of my fondest memories are from those shows.”

But even as he transitions into larger-scale productions, including his previous Broadway run in Ain’t Too Proud, Kearse remains grounded in what drew him to theater in the first place. “Theater is one of the last spaces where people gather together for a shared experience. It’s like church, or a sporting event. There’s power in that.”

In Moulin Rouge!, Kearse plays Toulouse-Lautrec, the real-life French painter and bohemian who famously rejected his aristocratic roots. “He was born into wealth but turned his back on it,” Kearse explains. “He had a physical disability from an injury in his youth, which stunted his growth, and I think that shaped how he saw the world. He gravitated toward people who were marginalized—dancers, poets, struggling artists. He wanted to be with them, to create with them.”

Renee Marie Titus, Amara Berhan, Kaitlin Mesh and Rodney Thompson in the 2026 touring production of MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Kearse brings his own lived experience to the role, imbuing Lautrec with both gravitas and vulnerability. “Certain lines that I have make me think about my grandfather, who was a pastor and the way that he went about his life; or my father, who was a painter and an artistic director, and the types of experiences that I gathered with him, and then my mom at church and, seeing some of those people and the way that they view people within the arts who were maybe not so holy. People in the church might have viewed some of my friends when I was younger as maybe a little bit wicked because they were dancers.”

While Moulin Rouge! dazzles with its sumptuous costumes and chart-topping mashups, Kearse sees the deeper layers beneath the sequins. “Yes, it’s a party,” he explained, “but there's also a conversation about classism, the wealthy and how there is one quality of life for people who can afford it, but then there's this lesser quality of life for people who can't — and there's a question within the musical as to ‘why does that exist? Does that need to exist? Aren't there ways that we can all live in this beautiful, wicked world together, without some of the separations that we have constructed within our society?’ It's a lot going on.”

Kearse especially relishes the show’s quieter moments. One of his favorites is a scene where he sings “Nature Boy” alongside the character Christian, the American writer. “It’s a really broken down moment. It's only he and I and a few others from the cast on stage. It’s very paired down and, Christian's heart is — for the first time we see that there's some heartbreak ahead for Christian. Inside of the huge spectacle that the show has been, there’s this moment of just absolute stillness and there's just these two individuals being very honest with one another and being very open and very intimate about somebody that they both share love for. It’s a reminder that beneath the spectacle, this is a story about love, loss, and hope.”

Despite the emotional depth of the character, Lautrec’s role also brings physical demands. He keeps pace thanks to the inspiration of his fellow castmates. 

The Company of the 2025 touring production of MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

“I’m not 17 anymore, and this show launches like a rocket and only slows down for two or three scenes — thankfully, some of those are mine,” Kearse joked. “There's definitely a lot of cardio work that's needed to keep up with the pace of it. I definitely dance around a good bit, but it's easy to push yourself when you're surrounded by such physically talented dancers and movers. The sweat and the lines and the angles and the leaps and the twirls and the catches that these men and women are given every night on that stage — it’s a spectacle in itself. It's almost pride that pushes me to keep up with them.”

You can catch Jahi Kearse in the national tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical May 13 through May 25. Tickets start at $35 and are available at texasperformingarts.org and BroadwayinAustin.com, by phone at (512) 477-1444, or from the Texas Performing Arts ticket office at Bass Concert Hall.