His other theatre credits include: understudy Boq in Wicked (Apollo Victoria), John in Peter Pan (Dublin), IQ in Hairspray (UK tour), Peter Pan in Peter Pan (Theatre Royal, Brighton) and Baby John in West Side Story (50th anniversary UK tour).
No stranger to the London Palladium, at the age of nine Harry made his West End debut as Louis in The King and I at the iconic theatre. He later returned to the Palladium to play Jeremy Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Harry is also currently organising the Chorus Line cast cabaret ‘What We Did For Love’ which takes place at 11pm on Monday 5th August at The Leicester Square Theatre.
In A Chorus Line, audiences see the “triple-threat” performers tell the heart-rending stories of their characters’ lives after they each hold up their black and white headshots. In What We Did For Love, fans of the show will get to hear songs chosen by the performers themselves, each with a special meaning to them, along with several full-company numbers.
I recently went backstage at the London Palladium and spoke to Harry in his dressing room about what people can expect from the Chorus Line cast cabaret, what he will miss most about the show when it closes and his recent trip to Broadway!
Why did you decide to organise the Chorus Line cast cabaret?
I’ve always wanted to do one, when I was in Hairspray I tried but the closest I got was bringing the cast down to London to do Kinky Kabaret at Freedom. When we were told that A Chorus Line was closing and that the cast album was no longer happening we all decided that we wanted to do something as a company to finish our experiece properly. I’ve been working with David Orchard to put the cabaret together and it’s going to be amazing, we have a very exciting line-up!
For starters we started planning song choices very far in advance because I want the balance to be right – nobody wants to sit through too many depressing songs or comedy numbers because it becomes too much. We have the perfect balance, plus John Partridge is hosting which is going to be fantastic! We’ve found reasons for why everybody sings their particular song. There will be connections, for example someone might sing a song they were brought up singing, an audition song or simply something they would never usually have the opportunity to perform. As a company we are very close so it’s going to be like a big family outing!
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| Harry rehearsing |
I know! The Leicester Square Theatre is brilliant, it has a nice chilled vibe which works because people will be coming from all different shows.
Can you give any hints or clues as to what anyone will be performing?
I don’t want to give anything away… but I can tell you that Craig Mather, who used to play Marius in Les Miserables, is going to be our drummer! We don’t know if John (Partridge) is singing yet… so you will have to come to find out! There will be some people who will blow you away, there are so many talented cast members in A Chorus Line, I’ve heard some amazing voices in the corridors backstage and all the understudies are brilliant so the cabaret is going to give everyone the opportunity to show people what they can do.
You mentioned how close you are as a company, what is life like backstage at the Palladium?
Well, the weird thing with this show is that because we don’t have an interval we don’t get to see each other a huge amount off-stage. Apart from warm-up we only get to see each other between shows or during the Cassie dance which means we’ve never had time for anyone to fall out. We all get on really well and this is definitely the closest company I have ever been part of. It’s so lovely to share a dressing room with a bunch of guys who don’t just talk about going to the gym! Everyone has so many other projects going on so we’ve all bonded because everyone is so interesting.
What will you miss most about the show when it closes?
Obviously the people, but I know I will see everyone again. What I will miss the most is that this is a show about us, there is no other show like it – it’s just me in the 70s! It’s been very emotional, I’ve never known people to cry so much during rehearsals. Also this will probably be the last time this version of A Chorus Line will ever be performed in the West End. Next time they do it in thirty years they will probably try and do a new version. Personally I couldn’t sit through it because I know that every single step is there for a reason. The choreography is just as important as the music and should be done in a certain way. Plus I’m going to miss the Palladium - you can’t top the Palladium! I worked here as a child a lot so it has been great to come in a full circle.
So the last night will be emotional!
I will be an emotional wreck on the last night! When you’ve been doing eight shows a week for such a long time your body gets so used to it and the thought of never doing it again makes me feel very emotional. This is my second time doing the show, and probably my last, at least my last time playing Mark – I’m starting with the youngest character so if they keep doing tours I could work my way through them all [laughs]. This might not be the end of the Chorus Line journey for me, who knows?
You previously played Mark in the Tel Aviv production, how have your two Chorus Line experiences compared?
You previously played Mark in the Tel Aviv production, how have your two Chorus Line experiences compared?
Well, it was the exact same show but in Tel Aviv we did five weeks rehearsal for a two week run which was sad because it left me wanting more! I did the show with an incredible group of people who have all gone on to do amazing things. For the West End production I had to start from scratch and go through the whole audition process all over again like everyone else. It took me a while to get used to doing the show with different people! This cast bring a different edge which is great, I look at the two productions as two completely different experiences. During rehearsals I had to stop myself from saying ‘well last time we did it this way’.
Physically it must be a really tough show to be part of?
Of course, when any of us now go to dance classes or auditions we realise just how fit we are! Everyone’s stamina is so high now and I hope we can all keep it up. During the show I can’t drink water or warm up before each number which has made me so much tougher.
Recently you went to Broadway, what were your favourite shows?
The best play I saw was The Nance, I hope it transfers to London! I also saw Jersey Boys and Newsies which are my favourite two shows at the moment.
Are they shows you would like to be part of?
They are my two dream jobs!
What other shows would you like to be part of?
One day I want to be the shortest Phantom of the Opera - the first 5’6” Phantom! There are so many roles I would like to play but I have to be realistic and take one day at a time.
If you had to go to a desert island, which three musical theatre songs would you take with you?
That’s really hard! ‘Franklin Shepard, Inc.’ from Merrily We Roll Along, ‘Hey There’ from The Pajama Game and, because I love a good stagey feel good tune, ‘Don't Quit While You're Ahead’ from The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Oh my goodness, there are so many more I would have to take! Those are just three which spring to mind, I have no idea why!
Finally, A Chorus Line has become incredibly popular and attracted lots of fans. What’s it like to have so much incredible support behind you?
It’s fantastic! Obviously John Partridge and Scarlett Strallen already had their own fans, but since we opened so many people have become fans of the piece. Lots of people have booked tickets not knowing anything about the show and have fallen in love with it and come back time and time again. With certain other shows you know the audiences are going to love it and will scream and cheer every night, but with A Chorus Line people were unsure. We’ve really created fans, it’s been amazing!
andrew@westendframe.com
To book tickets for the Chorus Line cast cabaret, please visit www.choruslinecabaret.com.
Click here to book tickets to see A Chorus Line at the London Palladium (save £26).
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