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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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COOL RIDER | London, Palladium

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TuckShop, in association with Christopher D. Clegg and James DP Drury, has today announced additional casting of their reunion concert of Cool Rider at the London Palladium on Sunday 14 April at 7pm.  This loving, unofficial parody of the ill-fated movie Grease 2 (1982) had a surprisingly successful run in the West End in 2014, originally conceived and co-produced by Christopher D. Clegg and James DP Drury.

For this one-night-only concert performance, West End stars Aaron Sidwell (Lord of the Rings; Wicked) and Ashleigh Gray (Wicked; Only Fools and Horses The Musical) will reunite and reprise the lead roles of Michael Carrington and Stephanie Zinone.  RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Kitty Scott-Claus (Death Drop) takes on the role of ‘The French One’, while Grease 2 star Maxwell Caulfield (the original Michael Carrington) joins the faculty as Mr. Stuart.  An ensemble of West End talent joins them; some reprising their roles from the original West End run, and some from the musical’s crowd-funded Original Studio Cast Recording.

The cult film told the heady and daring love story of two unlikely lovers and their road to romance from bowling alley to burger joint, sing-along-a-sex education class to talent show, and long (beautifully lit) romantic motorcycle rides to a slightly incongruous ‘luau’ ending. Much like its musical prequel, the story follows the ancient High School motto: if you want the guy/girl, change your personality beyond recognition and wear overly tight leather in the finale.

From the company who brought you Death Drop; Miz Cracker in Who’s Holiday; GALS ALOUD and sell out drag pantos at the Harold Pinter, Trafalgar, and Phoenix theatres, the concert will be directed by Christopher D. Clegg, musical direction and orchestrations by Lee Freeman, choreography by Matt Krzan, original direction by Guy Unsworth, lighting design by Toby Darvill, costumes by Ryan Webster, and sound design by Will Thompson.Cool Rider was originally conceived and co-produced by Christopher D. Clegg and James DP Drury.

Playing at the London Palladium for one night only: Sunday, 14 April 2024, 7pm.

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LES MISÉRABLES | London, Sondheim Theatre

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Cameron Mackintosh announced today that Killian Donnelly will return to Les Misérables as Jean Valjean in the critically acclaimed production at the Sondheim Theatre from Tuesday 31 October 2023, for 15 weeks only.  Due to sudden family reasons, Josh Piterman, who is currently playing the role, will return home to Australia. His final performances will take place on Saturday 21 October 2023.

Killian Donnelly returns to the role, having previously played Jean Valjean to critical acclaim in both the original West End production and the sell-out UK and Ireland tour of Les Misérables. This will be his first time playing the role in the new London production at the Sondheim Theatre.  His other theatre credits include the role of ‘The Phantom’ in The Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty’s Theatre.

First staged in 2009, the 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables was co-directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, with designs by Matt Kinley, based on the original 1985 production. Following a successful UK and Ireland tour, producer Cameron Mackintosh moved the 25th anniversary production into the West End in 2019, replacing the original 1985 production. At the time, the original 1985 creative team of directors Sir Trevor Nunn and John Caird, plus designer John Napier, expressed their feelings of “profound” unhappiness and betrayal: “Everywhere it is being advertised [as] a new production. It is not a new production.” Nunn and Caird are both credited on the 25th anniversary production as “adaptation”.

Boublil and Schönberg’s magnificent iconic score of Les Misérables includes the classic songs: “I Dreamed a Dream”; “On My Own”; “Stars”; “Bring Him Home”; “Do You Hear the People Sing?”; “One Day More”; “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”; “Master Of The House”; and many more.  Several of its songs have become real life anthems of revolution, wherever in the world people are fighting for their freedom. Seen by over 120 million people worldwide in 53 countries and in 22 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular and contemporary musicals.

Killian Donnelly plays Jean Valjean at the Sondheim Theatre from Tuesday 31 October 2023, for 15 weeks only.

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INTERVIEW: JAMES PARTRIDGE | London, Assembly Bangers

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James Partridge is the TikTok star behind Assembly Bangers, a two-hour hit show playing at sold-out venues in London and across the UK.

— Hello. Who are you?

Hi! I’m James. But to my students, I’m “Mr Partridge”. And online – on my social media accounts – I’m “James B Partridge”. I’m a music teacher turned content creator, making feel-good, nostalgic videos about growing up in the nineties, forgotten songs we sang at school, and other musical fun.

– Assembly Bangers is a phenomenon: you’ve been performing sold-out shows across London and the UK. Did you always know it was going to be such a success?

During lockdown I started putting some videos on YouTube to help my students with their singing lessons. Someone suggested TikTok, so I put out a few short, light-hearted educational videos, and made a top ten list of my favourite songs we sang at school. That video was shared widely across different platforms, even by the Department for Education! I started singing these tunes on TikTok livestreams, and eventually turned it into a theatre show. I had no idea it would be popular, but it has been incredible to meet so many lovely people at these events!

– What else are you interested in at the moment?

I’m a huge fan of musicals, and try to see as much as I can. I teach the musical theatre genre a lot, so it helps to have a finger on the pulse of what is going on. My favourite current shows are Operation Mincemeat, Next to Normal, and Hadestown.

– What’s next for James Partridge?

I teach in a few different schools across London, so I will be back in term for lessons. First I have a few more of my regular Assembly Bangers sing-along shows, and then I have a month of Christmas shows between November and December, which I’m touring around the UK.  I’m writing it now, and it should be a great way to get into the Christmas spirit!

@jamesbpartridge

Which ones did you sing?? They all still slap tbf 🤯 #schoolassembly #hymns #schoolhymns #schoolsongs #primaryschoolmemories #fyp #shinejesusshine

♬ Top 10 Primary School Assembly Bangers – James B Partridge

Assembly Bangers is playing two shows in London prior to a UK tour 2023–2024.

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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: 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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