Jay Johnson: The Two and Only Will Open on Broadway in March

Writer-performer Jay Johnson will bring his show Jay Johnson: The Two and Only to Broadway in the spring. Directed and co-created by Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel, the production will begin previews at the Helen Hayes Theatre Tuesday, March 7 and will open officially on Sunday, March 19.

Johnson, who is best known for playing the schizophrenic role of Chuck and Bob on the classic television comedy Soap, has a 30-year career as a ventriloquist. In The Two and Only, which had a run at the Atlantic Theater in 2004, he gives voice to characters ranging from a subversive monkey to a withering tennis ball.

Writing about the show during its Atlantic Theater engagement, TheaterMania’s Barbara & Scott Siegel commented, “this is a genuine piece of theater during which [Johnson] gives an adroit history of his craft, interwoven with his own story of growing up and finding his way into show business. He doesn’t do stereotypical ventriloquist things like drinking water and throwing his voice at the same time; his skills are demonstrated in more clever ways as he actually explains some of the tricks of the trade.”