It was recently announced that West End star Scott Garnham will play Hunter in the London premiere of [title of show] at the Landor Theatre alongside Simon Bailey as Jeff, Sarah Galbraith as Susan and Sophia Ragavelas as Heidi.
Scott most recently appeared as Mr Lindquist in “A Little Night Music - in Concert” at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. Prior to this he played Feuilly and covered the roles of Marius and Enjolras in “Les Misérables” at the Queens Theatre.
His other theatre credits include the “Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Concert at The O2”, Ronan Corr in the West End and UK touring productions of “Eurobeat” and Jose Reize in the UK tour of “Never Forget”.
Last week I spoke to Scott about what people can expect from [title of show], when he first found out about the musical and his time in Les Mis…
How are rehearsals for [title of show] going?
It’s been amazing so far! It’s such a brilliant piece and the most original show that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working on.
Have you always wanted to create a role in an original production?
Absolutely, I think it’s something every actor wants to do and it’s great that the Landor Theatre provides that platform for so many people. When I found out about the project I jumped at the chance to be part of it.
It’s basically two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical [laughs]. They enter the New York Musical Theatre Festival and give themselves a deadline of three weeks to write a musical. [title of show] just features two guys, two girls and a piano. It almost rebels against all those big jukebox musicals. In America the show got to Broadway which just proves how you don’t need big special effects, if the quality is good enough a show can be a success.
What is the music like?
It covers a few genres. It is as original as possible and sounds very modern. The piece is just so funny, during our read through on the first day we were all howling with laughter.
How familiar were you with [title of show] before you became involved with the project?
I was actually very familiar with the show. I had the soundtrack before the show even opened on Broadway! I remember listening to it and thinking how funny it was, this was probably around 2006. Then I was obviously very excited when I heard about the London premiere!
What’s it like being part of such a small cast?
The cast are amazing! They all have incredible CVs and have been part of big West End and Broadway shows. The show is so simple, with just four chairs and a piano on stage, there is nowhere to hide!
A lot of people know you from your time in Les Misérables at the Queens Theatre. [title of show] at the Landor could not be any more different, how do you feel about performing in such a small, intimate space?
I’m looking forward to it! I’ve done a lot of cabarets so I am used to performing in intimate venues which I quite enjoy! Aside from Les Mis, which certainly isn’t comedy [laughs], I have played a few comedy roles in the past so it’s fun to revisit that!
Do you have fond memories of your time in Les Mis?
I loved it! I was lucky enough to join for the 25th year which was a very exciting time for the show. We performed at the O2 and Alfie Boe and Matt Lucas both joined the cast. Of course people went on to do great things, like Samantha Barks. Two years was the perfect amount of time to be there, it was great!
Looking ahead, are there any particular shows you would like to be part of?
What I love about what we do is that you never know what’s around the corner. To perform in an original show is always exciting! But of course there are certain shows in London which I like and potentially one day would love to be in. I’m a big fan of The Book of Mormon and one day would love to be in it, or something like Jersey Boys.
What are some of your favourite shows in London at the moment?
Matilda, I went to see it recently and was absolutely blown away! I was watching the kids and thought that I might as well quit! I haven’t seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory yet but I’m very keen to see it because as a child it was always my favourite book. I saw War Horse recently, I’m a bit slow off the mark but when you’re in a show you don’t get to other shows! For me War Horse was a life changing piece of theatre, I don’t know how the creative team sat down and envisaged the whole thing because it is just incredible!
You have such amazing support from people who have been following your career over the years, what’s it like having so much support?
When you’re a performer you’re putting yourself out there and we all have egos, otherwise we couldn’t do it. When I do a cabaret and it sells out, it’s nice to know that people enjoyed it and like following what I do, it’s a real privilege!
Interviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com
[title of show] opens at the Landor Theatre on Monday 12th August (previews from 7th August) and runs until 14th September 2013.
[title of show] opens at the Landor Theatre on Monday 12th August (previews from 7th August) and runs until 14th September 2013.
Please visit www.landortheatre.co.uk for further information and tickets.
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