The Jonathan Larson Project - Interview: Marcus Collins

“ Following a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway run, The Jonathan Larson Project will premiere in London at Southwark Playhouse Borough. An electrifying celebration of the groundbreaking composer behind ‘Rent’ and ‘tick, tick… BOOM!’, it is being reimagined for London by the original Off-Broadway director, John Simpkins ”.

Simon J. Webb, Hi Marcus, who do we find you playing in The Jonathan Larson Project?

Marcus Collins, There aren't actually any character names as such, so I'm playing ‘Artist Three’.

SJW, When did the American composer, lyricist, and playwright Jonathan Larson first appear on your radar?

MC, My first singing teacher gave me Seasons Of Love from the musical Rent to listen to, and I remember thinking, “Whatever this world is, I have to be a part of it”. I just loved the way it sounded. I loved the way it made me feel. I got goosebumps the first time I listened to it and so the minute I was able to get my voice into that kind of ‘genre’... I just fell in love.

SJW, That was quite ‘early doors’ for you then.

MC, Yeah, I must have been something like fifteen... and I'm thirty-eight now.

SJW, So you’ve waited a long time for this opportunity to come along?

MC, Yeah. (laughs)

SJW, And professionally have you ever got close to appearing in a production of Rent or Larson’s other musical tick, tick... Boom?

MC, You know what? I’ve thought about it... and actually one of my friends gifted me the costume of Angel. I think it’s from the original West End production of Rent. I still have it in my loft, all bagged-up and vacuum-packed... and on days when I need to go up there and have a root through all my old rubbish, I love trying everything on.

SJW, I'm not sure if that’s sweet or creepy. (laughs).

MC, It's a little bit weird, (laughs), but you know what... it's better than collecting Playbills. I think if you've got something that was actually in the room, that was on the actual stage and was lived in, then that's kind of cool. But no... I've never actually auditioned for either of his musicals.

SJW, And so how would you describe this production, given it doesn’t have a narrative as such. I've been told it's come together through a lot of previously unheard Larson songs, some of which were actually cut from other shows.

MC, Yes. So, this is a song cycle of wonderful pieces of work that never made it into previous shows, or that didn't quite fit the story of the show that he was writing at the time. So it's so amazing... it's like he's still here and he's written new stuff for us. It just feels incredible to sing these pieces of music that haven't been performed or heard in this country before, and it's a massive honour.

SJW, And so, without a narrative structure, do you approach each song as an individual performance, i.e. is it harder for you to kind find the intended momentum behind each song without them slipping easily into a bigger story, if that makes sense?

MC, For sure, it can be really challenging, but I think that's where the beauty lives. The beauty is in the discovery. When you get a new piece and you have to try and understand what Jonathan wanted for these characters, and then to ask, “what can I bring to it? What's the director's perspective?”. The music tells the story. We just have to choose the positions, from A to B to C, in order to tell that story and to do it justice. It's hard, and it takes a lot of work. We've already done seventeen songs in the last four days.

SJW, Wow!

MC, It's a lot of material to learn.

SJW, Has meeting the press happened a bit too early for your liking then, given just how soon into this process you are? (laughs)

MC, I would probably say that if we could have had a little bit longer, we could have probably done a few more songs for you all, (laughs), but I'm so proud of us today, and for what we've achieved in this 34-degree heat.

SJW, Yes, absolutely.

MC, It's incredibly dry and... yeah, it's been a challenge, but we're here for the love, and we do it because we love what we do.

SJW, Well it sounded fantastic. Has this renewed your appetite for Jonathan Larson’s work, and maybe to keep your eyes peeled for any new productions of Rent that may be on the horizon?

MC, I would absolutely be interested, yeah... absolutely. I don't know who I'd play now though. I've kind of aged out of Angel. I think I might have to be Collins or something, but I don't know if I could sing in my boots for that long, (laughs). I don't know. We'll see.

SJW, Fantastic. Well best of luck for opening night.

MC, Thanks.

The Jonathan Larson Project is on at the Southwark Playhouse Borough 9th July - 22nd August 2026. Tickets available here

interview, photography & videography: Simon J. Webb