Photo by Krystal Pagan

Bear Actor Transforms into Little Known Gay Musician

16th May 2025 Kevin M. Thomas

There haven’t been that many feathers on stage since the premiere of Chicago and La Cage aux Folles musicals. Yet the smaller production of The Parrots at the Pagota, playing through this month at New York’s Puerto Rican Traveling Theater is almost as grandiose as these larger productions.

This world premiere musical, written and directed by Jorge B. Merced, puts together an amazing historical tale of musician Johnny Rodriguez, and found the greatest resources to bring the show to life through its talented performers and those involved in its look, costumes and sets. In fact, the beautiful headresses rival any show and it’s no surprise that their creator Diego Vargas has not only designed for Broadway shows but a lot of drag events, including at bear events.

There’s so much to stay about Parrots and Johnny Rodriguez. Most of us don’t even know the singer Rodriguez as when you Google him, you end up with some country singer with the same name, but that’s not him.

The musical is an introduction to who he is and it leaves you wanting to know more, which I searched right after the show. Alas, there’s little to be found on him (wonder how Merced did). The closest connection I can find is googling his son – Johnny Dandy Rodriguez.

But to learn more about him, I just asked Ruben Flores, who plays Rodriguez in this production.

Flores, who didn’t think he’d even be cast as he is not Puerto Rican and they wanted some a bit older as the story was told from the later years of Rodriguez. And while Flores is part of the bear community, he felt he was too small in stature to play the older Rodriguez.

But, according to Flores, he studied Rodriguez and went in to the audition with the respect the part deserved and was hired the same day.

Flores uncovered that Rodriguez was really a trend setter in our LGBTQ+ community. “He traveled the world in the 1930s and ’40s and played in a lot of speakeasies,” Flores says. There Rodriguez was able to see some of the chances singers would take with their craft, not being afraid to come out of the closet.

So by the time the 1960s came around Rodriguez was more comfortable in his own skin and started performing his original music and songs at drag clubs, which is unheard of back them. In his research Flores just wanted to know more and he was drawn to Rodriguez’ “complexities of his harmonies in particular with the musical trio he worked with.”

Flores said that he now feels such a connection to Rodriguez that he gets immersed into the role at every performance. “I no longer feel I am performing and have to remember lines and staging as I feel as if I am Johnny.”

But fortunately, when he goes home to his bear partner, he returns home as Flores, a proud member of our community.

“It’s such a welcoming community,” Flores says. “I remember in 2012 I went to my first BeefDip in Puerto Vallarta. I was afraid I wouldn’t fit in,” he says, worrying there would be some clique that wouldn’t allow him to sit at the popular table. “But they were so nice,” he recalls, saying he’s still friends after all of these years from different bears he met from Montana, London, Spain and Brazil.

So whether he’s Johnny or Ruben, you have your chance to see him live at Parrots. Get tickets and information at: Parrots at The Pagoda