GBBP 204: Christine Toy Johnson

We’re headed back to the Great White Way (in a manner of speaking). This week, we welcome Christine Toy Johnson to the show. Christine is currently playing the role of Diane in the national touring company of Come From Away, the musical that tells the story of 7,000 airline passengers who were stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland after September 11. The show is based on true events but also finds its roots in Jim DeFede’s The Day the World Came to Town. This one was particularly special to me since I was just in Newfoundland a few months ago, and I’ve been listening to the cast recording of Come From Away quite a bit.

Off stage, Christine can be seen on a number of shows, but she most notably starred as Sherry Yang in the second season of Marvel’s Iron Fist on Netflix. She’s a true Renaissance woman in the performing arts: she’s an actor, a singer, and a playwright. She’s also a vocal advocate for inclusion, particularly for Asian Americans in non-traditionally cast roles.

On this episode, we talk about growing up near New York and going to Broadway from a very young age, the rigors of a touring musical’s schedule, the secrecy surrounding Iron Fist, whether Marvel should have rethought the Danny Rand character, and how Come From Away makes the events of 9/11 relevant for younger audiences and brings a new understanding of the day to those of us who lived through it.

You can listen on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher, and YouTube; you can follow the RSS feed; or you can listen right here!