George Krissa is used to flexing his theatrical muscles.
Seven years ago, in the Stratford Festival’s blockbuster production of “The Rocky Horror Show,” he received gasps of delight playing the titular body builder in nothing but a pair of gold lamé shorts.
And if you’re among the thousands of people who saw “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” — either in its record-breaking run at Crow’s Theatre or the recent Mirvish Productions remount — you know he also turned heads.
There’s a scene — you know the one — involving a shirtless Krissa that immediately cranked up the temperature of the historic theatre.
“It was great fun, especially when we did the show at Crow’s, because I could see everyone’s faces,” Krissa told me recently. “At the Royal Alex, I could see a good portion of the orchestra and some of the balcony, but higher up things got a bit blurry. It felt great to catch people’s eyes, seeing them look and be excited. Some people tried not to look. But I would make eye contact and wink. What can I say? It’s a good time.”
The good times — and ravishing tenor notes — are going to keep coming this season, as Krissa steps into two big roles this fall.
In late September, he plays the romantic lead in Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Tony Award-nominated musical “Bright Star.” And then in December he picks up a quill to strut his stuff as a not-quite-historically-accurate William Shakespeare in the return of the hit jukebox musical “& Juliet.”
“This isn’t how things ever turn out,” said Krissa, shortly before “Great Comet” finished its run. “Usually four things happen at the same time, so you can’t do them all. I was thrilled that these all lined up perfectly.”
Rehearsals for “& Juliet” will begin during the final two weeks of “Bright Star,” which means he’ll have to wake up extra early to get to the gym to maintain his Men’s Fitness-cover-ready physique.
“So what if I have to get up at 6:30 am?” he said. “This is living the dream. The overlapping shows are going to be difficult, but this is what I’ve been training for.”
In “Bright Star,” which is set in the American South in the 1920s and ’40s, he plays Jimmy Ray Dobbs, a small-town kid with big dreams and a big heart.
“My character meets Alice Murphy, played by Kaylee Harwood, and they hit it off,” Krissa said. “The show sort of follows their love story and then jumps ahead 20 years, after some events have taken place. I don’t want to give anything away.”
Besides singing, he’ll play piano, guitar, mandolin and percussion.
“We don’t have a ton of time to put it all together and locking into the band side of things while keeping the story alive is going to be a challenge,” he said.
As for “& Juliet,” he can’t wait to make people laugh at the story — the book is by David West Read, a writer and executive producer on the TV show “Schitt’s Creek” — and groove to Max Martin songs.
“I’m a huge fan of ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and that humour works so well in this show. It’s fun, cheeky and intelligent without being pretentious,” Krissa said. “I grew up with this music. Every single song has a very specific memory attached to my life as a boy, in my teens, my 20s and now.”
And just how does a kid from Lashburn, Saskatchewan, with a population of less than 1,000, go on to star in three of the biggest shows of the year?
He credits his high school music teacher Murray McDonnell, who came from Toronto and provided mentorship.
“My school was small,” Krissa said. “There weren’t enough students to make a brass band, so we formed a rock band, with piano, bass, drums, guitar and singer. I played the guitar, and Murray taught us how to play together and listen to each other. He was such an inspiration.”
After studying music at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Krissa did some regional theatre, paying his rent as a bartender at that city’s Earls restaurant. A poster seeking people to work at a new location in Toronto got him to the Big Smoke.
And that’s where he worked when he moved here — with no connections or agent — in 2011. The day that “Great Comet” opened at the Royal Alex, Krissa posted a heartfelt message about how, as an aspiring actor bartending nearby, he would pass the theatre on the streetcar and dream about performing there one day.
When he wasn’t pouring out cocktails, he attended what he calls his own triple threat school: separate dance, voice and acting classes.
“I paid for it all with the money I made at the bar,” he said. “When all my friends were partying and going to the island, I was in classes.”
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the openly gay Krissa made the move to TV acting, winning a role in the history-making first LGBTQ-themed Hallmark movie, called “The Holiday Sitter.”
What would he tell his younger self, the one who was taking that streetcar and hoping to one day act on a big stage?
“Stay the course, buddy,” he said. “This industry is hard. It’s hard to get into, it’s hard to stay in. For as many wins as I’ve had, I’ve had just as many punches to the gut.
“Starting out, I always felt like I was trying to jump onto a train that was already moving. I knew I had to be going as fast as the train to jump onto it. You have to be as good as the people who are on the train. That’s what kept me going.”
“Bright Star” begins performances Sept. 30 at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge St. “& Juliet” begins performances Dec. 3 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. W. Visit mirvish.com for tickets and more information.
