Interview

INTERVIEW: JAMAAL FIELDS-GREEN (MJ the Musical)

Interview

New York’s Jamaal Fields-Green took over the role of Michael Jackson in the smash hit London production of MJ the Musical 14 January, 2025.

— You’ve played Michael Jackson in MJ the Musical on Broadway, on the US national tour, and now on the West End. Does it feel different performing in London? Or is it really just the same as performing the show anywhere?

I’d say it’s a bit of both. There are actually slight differences in blocking across the companies. Thankfully, audiences all over the world have the same reaction to the show — the love and enjoyment is always there. But where London differs is the reservation the audience has during the show: it’s different from what I’m used to, but I like it. It allows us in the company to further engulf ourselves into the world we’re creating.

— What drew you to this particular role?

It’s Michael Jackson! Honestly, this role allows me to really exercise the ability to be a triple threat. I have to sing, act, and dance at a high level. Getting the chance to do that, while also leading a show, was an opportunity I couldn’t miss out on.

— What are the challenges of performing this show in London, versus performing in New York, or the rest of America? What do you miss?

Really, I would say just the location and the culture… being in a new country. It didn’t take me long to get used to the reserved audiences. Getting to stay in one spot is nice. I hadn’t had that in a while. Other than that, everything else is about the same.

— What’s next for Jamaal Fields-Green?

The world! I have a lot of plans and goals set for myself while I’m here in London. I want to do a play while I’m here, after my time with MJ is over. Between acting, singing and dancing, acting has always been the one I’ve felt most at home with. I have a lot of music on the way — I release music under the name “J. Hasan“. I recently started working on my newest short film, and we’re aiming to shoot it this summer. TV and film is another big thing I’ve been chasing for a while. Overall, I’m looking to grow was an artist, and further cement myself as a force in the industry.

MJ the Musical is playing at the Prince Edward Theatre 6 March 2024 – 13 September 2025.

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INTERVIEW: TIM EDGE (ONE OF THE BOYS) | London, Playground Theatre

Interview

Tim Edge is the self-professed rabble-rouser and writer of his acclaimed debut play Under The Black Rock (2023). His second play, One of the Boys (2024), is running at the Playground Theatre in West London, 1 – 26 October, 2024.

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— What inspired you to write One of the Boys?

Having been brought up in a household surrounded by women, I have always been tuned in to female voices and struggles. Also, I have worked in high-pressure environments, like those depicted in the play, where inappropriate male attitudes and behaviours made me feel deeply uncomfortable. I wrote the play because sexism ruins lives and careers. Ideally, I want men to see the play, and to change their behaviour.

— Now that we are all working from home, the days of office sexism are behind us; aren’t they?

Not a bit of it! Although the headline characteristics of office sexism are less blatant, its effects and reach are more insidious; particularly through the use of social media. My daughters, who are making their own way in the workplace, tell me stories to indicate that much still needs to be done before women can feel secure and valued in all work settings.

— To what extent is One of the Boys in the same style as your last play, Under The Black Rock?

Obviously, it’s a very different subject matter — the Northern Ireland Troubles to the corporate world — but very much the same style; which I characterise as gasps, laughs, and a punchy plot that races along. Ultimately though, the play is designed to confront, to engage and to get people talking. Our audiences so far tell us that this is being achieved!

— What’s next for Tim Edge?

A break to re-set and re-charge! I’m delighted, though, that my production company has been able to offer opportunities to a number of talented actors and creatives over the last two years. On the writing front, a third play called That Look is in development. I am also writing a detective novel, inspired by the works of Raymond Chandler and Derek Raymond.

One of the Boys plays at the Playground Theatre in West London, 1 – 26 October, 2024.

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INTERVIEW: TOBIAS TURLEY (MAMMA MIA!) | London, Novello Theatre

Interview

Tobias Turley is the winner of ITV’s MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream, a British television talent competition documenting the search for two new, unknown musical theatre performers for Mamma Mia! in the West End.

— Congratulations on winning ITV’s MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream, with a prize that money can’t buy: joining the West End cast as Sky. How are you feeling?

I’m feeling great, thank you, I’m having such a blast in this show. It’s such an incredible feeling seeing so many months of hard work pay off and come to fruition. We started filming the TV show over a year ago now, so it’s very odd to see myself in the position I am currently in, but I am loving every second.

— Since opening in 1999, Mamma Mia! has gone on to be one of the most successful musicals in the whole world.  For you, what makes it so popular and so enduring?

This show is built on a foundation of incredible music. ABBA is timeless and beloved all over the world, so that’s a great start. But also it has a great script, incredible production design and amazing choreography. It’s a good mixture all round.

— Tell us about your character, Sky.

Sky is a charming, bubbly island boy. Who is head over heels for Sophie, but not completely sold on the idea of marriage just yet. He loves adventuring on the island, diving, surfing, very typical island behaviour. He’s very level headed, calm and collected but also incredibly light hearted. He’s a good egg.

— Anything else exciting in the pipeline?

The future is looking very exciting and I’m taking everything as it comes.  Being part of the show’s 25th anniversary celebration, with Björn Ulvaeus joining us on stage, was so special; the same anniversary of ABBA winning Eurovision with “Waterloo”, 50 years ago. I feel so incredibly lucky to be in the position I am in.

Tobias Turley is now performing in the West End production of Mamma Mia!, playing eight shows a week.

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INTERVIEW: JIN HAO LI | Glasgow, BBC New Comedy Awards 2023

Interview

— Congratulations on winning the semi-finals of the BBC New Comedy Awards 2023. How did that feel?

Not to be gross, but the biggest takeaway was genuinely the friends I made. We all agreed to do this bit: when they announce the winner, if it isn’t you; bury your head in your hands in disgust and disappointment. Everyone committed. It was the funniest thing they filmed that night, and meant a lot more than if they just clapped for me.

— For someone who’s never seen you before, how would you describe your stand-up comedy style?

I would say it’s a warm hug that lasts too long.

— How did you get into stand-up?

The first live stand up show I saw was back home in Singapore. I was wearing my army uniform at the time and sat in the front row. I absolutely deserved getting roasted. But the biggest feeling that night was, if this is the standard that is acceptable to face the public, there is nothing to be afraid of.  So I did it the following week and once you start, you can’t really stop.

— What’s next for Jin Hao Li?

I’m building towards my first hour, which has to be excellent and immortalised. I’m working on two scripted projects at the moment: a sketch show, and a series that I’m writing with my friend Iris, about Chinese actors living in London.

Watch the BBC New Comedy Awards 2023 on BBC iPlayer.

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INTERVIEW: DANIEL RAGGETT | London, Accidental Death of an Anarchist

Interview

Daniel Raggett explains his process for directing this new adaptation of Dario Fo’s comedy, Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1970), and how a 200-seat studio theatre production came to find a new audience on the West End.

– Congratulations on the West End transfer for Accidental Death of an Anarchist. How does it feel to have a show on the West End at this stage in your career?

This is a show that started off in a 200-seat studio theatre in Sheffield, and originally there were no plans beyond that. The most important thing about the West End run is that the show can be seen by more people. It is a piece of work I’m very proud of because it feels unique – a comedy that carries an important message at its heart – and clearly the fact it has returned for a third time means that people are responding to it.

– Accidental Death of an Anarchist is an Italian play from 1970, based on the true story of how a suspect in the 1969 Milan Piazza Fontana bombing fell to his death from a fourth-floor window of a police station during an interrogation. How can such a play make sense to an English-speaking, London audience, over fifty years later?

Crucially, there is a real case at the heart of the play: Dario Fo used the actual transcripts from the real event. But he was adamant that when productions were remounted, details should be adapted to reflect similar contemporary abuses – so that it speaks to the society outside the walls of the theatre, and the world in which the audience are watching the play. Dario Fo gave his personal blessing to Tom Basden’s adaptation before he died, because it does exactly this. Now, with the evidence of the Casey report, the relevance has only increased.

– Can you describe your directing style in a few sentences?

I don’t believe in a hierarchy. I think actors are a director’s greatest tool, and you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with, and that includes lighting, sound, and set. I’d also say my style is quite eclectic. I try to find the best process for that particular production, rather than having one process that fits everything.

– Some people say politics shouldn’t be theatrical, and theatre shouldn’t be political. What do you say?

From my point of view, politics is inherently theatrical – you just have to look at the Prime Minister’s Questions to see how much grandstanding and audience participation there is. More importantly, I’d argue that everything is political, including theatre. With this particular show, it isn’t our intention to lecture an audience but rather to convey a message. You may not even notice because you’re laughing so much – but, if we’ve done it right, it’ll stay with you.

Playing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket 12 June – 9 September 2023.

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INTERVIEW: MIRIAM BATTYE | Edinburgh, Roundabout @ Summerhall

Interview

Manchester-based writer Miriam Battye (HBO’s Succession) explains the deeply personal origins of her latest work, Strategic Love Play (2023), running at the Edinburgh Fringe and London’s Soho Theatre.

– How would you describe Strategic Love Play (2023)?

It’s all one scene, one first date, two strangers who met on their phones. It’s highly unlikely that it will work out. But actually, if you stare at it, it’s very high stakes. It’s maybe the most romantic thing I’ve ever written.

– What inspired you to write this type of love story?

I wanted to work out why we all feel so hard done by in dating, and where on earth we get the wild idea it’s supposed to be gorgeous and easy. Why should it be? We’re all trying to package a gorgeous version of ourselves, and we’re also trying to not try – to present ambivalence.

– How do you feel dating has changed since the introduction of dating apps?

I think apps provided an incredibly effective solution to something that is genuinely painfully difficult. But I wonder if, maybe, it isn’t supposed to be painless. You’ve put your face in everyone’s phone and asked them to want you. And given them the brief idea that it’s totally their choice. You are totally available for their choosing.

– How is the cast?

We have the most gorgeous, top-tier cast. I worked with Letty Thomas on Scenes with girls (Royal Court, 2020), and I love what she does on stage: she is genuinely original, hilarious and stunningly powerful. And Archie Backhouse is a proper revelation.

– What are you most looking forward to, bringing this show to the Edinburgh Fringe?

I love the Fringe, I go every year as a punter. Throughout my career, I’ve done big TV shows, had my work ripped apart, got over it – but nothing is really more intimidating than the Fringe to me. It’s just a lot of people who care a lot about theatre. I want to astound people, reach out and grab their attention before they go on to the next thing.

Book to see Strategic Love Story at the Edinburgh Fringe and London’s Soho Theatre.

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INTERVIEW: MARK WARTENBERG | Berlin, Germany

Interview

Berlin-based actor Mark Wartenberg is in the throes of a new challenge: recording a sonnet a day, and posting each video onto Instagram.  He explains his fascination with Shakespeare, and how he got the idea in the first place.

– How did you come up with this idea of doing a Shakespeare sonnet a day?

I think that doing a sonnet a day is quite a unique way of conveying the liveliness, nuances, inventiveness, and paradoxes of Shakespeare’s style. For instance, I imagine he dashed some lines off while obsessing over others. And I think that the daily attempt to perform each sonnet under limited preparation time also conveys what I imagine was Shakespeare’s interest in taking risks poetically.

– And you do every sonnet differently.

I try to mix things up a bit: different locations; different acting styles; different camera angles; depending on how I feel, and the energy of the sonnet. Sometimes the sonnets are sung, sometimes they are performed in an accent, et cetera.

– We have 154 published Shakespeare sonnets: isn’t it quite a challenge to knock a new one off every single day?

Each of my performances is necessarily imperfect. I mean, there might be a lack of diction; or I might forget or flub lines; there might be hazy intention and meaning; et cetera. But I believe that all hundred and fifty-four performances together will create a powerful work.

– You’re also not British.

My English is native-level, and sounds American, but I’m actually French-German-Indonesian.  But I think the fact that I’m not British adds an interesting dimension: Shakespeare didn’t talk in RP [received pronunciation], so departing from that might bring him closer to us.

– What fascinates you about Shakespeare, and particularly his sonnets?

It’s the imaginative breadth, depth and playfulness. How he seems to love contradictions and nuances, and yet his sonnets are very dramatic. They’re also, often, very silly. Shakespeare has such a bold way of creating images, breaking rules, and still following through on logic. And I love the cadence of his poetry: it creates these amazing variations in thought and emotion.

– What about Shakespeare the man? Are you equally fascinated by the historical Shakespeare?

Notoriously little is known about Shakespeare, which is perhaps why I find him so fascinating. He was living in a world so different from ours – Renaissance England – but he wrote verse that is incredibly vivid, still to this day.

Follow Mark Wartenberg on Instagram for recordings of all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets.

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INTERVIEW: KYLE RAMAR FREEMAN (A Strange Loop)

Interview

Broadway’s Kyle Ramar Freeman stars in the London production of Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop, playing at the Barbican 17 June – 9 September, 2023.

– Congratulations on landing the lead role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, A Strange Loop. How does it feel?

It feels amazing, and full circle that I get to be in this moment with this show. I am forever grateful for the experience, and the opportunity to tell a story that is so authentically itself; that millions of people will be impacted by for the years to come.

– So, do you prefer performing on Broadway or the West End? Be honest.

I would only say I prefer Broadway because my family and friends have access to see me perform more there than they would in London.

– A Strange Loop is very critical of conservative American Christianity, particularly in regards to homophobia. But also, the musical touches on that feeling of being abandoned by God. As a Christian yourself, has it felt difficult to be part of this production?

No, it has not been difficult to be a part of this production in that regard. But I have felt that way in my own life. And coming from a community within church that feels like home to you – but also is a place that does not really love your true self – is a tricky thing to navigate. However, it’s important for the show to speak on an experience that does not often get to be put in the spotlight. Especially for a fat black gay person to tell it, in its raw form, as we get to do in A Strange Loop.

– What’s next for Kyle Ramar Freeman?

The revival of The Wiz on Broadway is what is next for me! I will be the Lion, and I am so thrilled to be a part of the history of that magnificent show. I could not be more thrilled to start that journey.

See Kyle Ramar Freeman live at the Barbican Theatre 17 June – 9 September 2023.

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INTERVIEW: ANTONY LAWRENCE (SHREK THE MUSICAL)

Interview

Antony Lawrence stars as Shrek in the 2023-2024 UK tour of Shrek the Musical.

– Tell me about the prosthetics.

It is going to be a real challenge. I previously did The Lion King where I had a full face of makeup, and I had to spend a lot of time in the mirror to work out how moving my face affected the appearance of that makeup. It’ll be very much the same with this – when I’ve had all the prosthetics on, I’ve looked at myself, and considered how I’ll make myself look friendly, or happy, or scared, or worried. So much of it is going to probably come through the voice.

– What about the costume?

During the rehearsals, I’ll want to be in the costume where possible, because it completely changes the physicality. Every time I’ve had the costume on, I figure out new ways to be in it, thinking about how Shrek would stand, which is completely different to me. You need the framework of the costume during the rehearsal period.

– What attracted you the role of Shrek?

It’s so clichéd to say that it’s a dream role, but it really is. I’m a character actor; I love complex characters that go on a big journey, and Shrek is very much like that. Shrek the Musical was actually the very first show I saw on Broadway: we went to New York for my sister’s eighteenth birthday, and because we loved Shrek so much as a film, we went to see the musical. I remember being so excited when it was coming over to London. I was at drama school at the time, and remember thinking, gosh, I’d love to play this role. Shrek’s song, ‘Who I’d Be’, is one I’ve used at so many auditions.

– How was the audition for this?

I knew ‘Who I’d Be’ very well, but I didn’t know the other songs. I never like to copy other actors’ performances, so I presented my own take on it. I really wanted to show that vulnerable side of the character, and they liked that. For me, the story of Shrek is about not needing to change who you are to fit in in the world, you just need to be yourself.

Playing at select theatres across the UK, 21 July 2023 – 21 April 2024.

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INTERVIEW: TOM FOWLER (Hope has a Happy Meal)

Interview

Tom Fowler is the writer of Hope has a Happy Meal, directed by Royal Court Associate Director Lucy Morrison, and playing at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, 3 June – 8 July 2023.

– Please describe your new play, Hope has a Happy Meal.

It is a magical realist fairy tale, about a woman called Hope, returning to the People’s Republic of Koka Kola, to find the family she left behind twenty-four years ago. I came up with the title and premise in 2016: at the time, Britain had recently voted to leave the EU, Donald Trump had just been elected president of the US – I heard a lot of people talk about hope as if it had just disappeared overnight.

– Is this a… ‘hopeful’ play?

I want to show ‘hope’ as beautiful and powerful, but unreliable. It can lift you up, but then tear you down just as easily. I would say the play is firmly rooted in now, but by it being set in the People’s Republic of Koka Kola, rather than Britain, there’s a detachment that hopefully makes it feel a little more universal.

– How have rehearsals been?

Rehearsals have been great. Lucy Morrison, who’s directing, has been reading and noting drafts of the play since the very beginning of the process, and also directed the short piece I wrote for the Royal Court’s Living Newspaper project, so there’s lots of trust there. Plus the cast and creative team are all brilliant – I feel very lucky.

– What does it mean to you to have your play on at the Royal Court?

Since learning about the Royal Court, and discovering some of the incredible writers and plays that started here, having my first professional production be here has always been a goal. So yeah, it’s amazing and I’m very excited to finally share the play.

Playing at the Royal Court in London, 3 June – 8 July 2023.

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