The Jonathan Larson Project - Interview: Michael Mather

“ 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 Michael, how's it all going?

Michael Mather, Honestly, it's been a lot of fun.

SJW, Early days.

MM, Early days for sure. I think what's really exciting about it though is that I am honestly such a little nerd for Jonathan Larson. I grew up adoring his work, so to be in this room and to be discovering this music and work that remains unseen by so many people... that feels so special. It's been such a beautiful week, to create with a room of such wonderful, wonderful talent. So yeah, I feel really honoured. If it wasn't 500 million degrees in here, I would have had the best week of my life. (laughs). But apart from the heat...

SJW, I'm sure you’re not going to forget this experience any time soon. (laughs)

MM, Oh, I'll remember it for sure.

SJW, So when did Jonathan Larson first appear on your radar? I’m guessing you obviously knew about him long before this production came along?

MM, Oh, yeah. I remember being an angsty little teenager and I was, like, a secret gay boy up in my room... and I discovered Rent. I was obsessed, and I just could not stop listening to it. It became like my Bible in a way, I was obsessed… and then I discovered tick, tick… Boom! through that and just fell madly in love with his work. I just think it feels like you can change the world with his lyrics, and there's just some amazing ones, like in ‘Louder Than Words’. I just find him fascinating, and it breaks my heart that we lost him thirty years ago because, for me, he changed the game of musical theatre, and I wish he could have seen that.

SJW, Yeah, absolutely.

MM, It's so soul destroying to know that he couldn't see what Rent did, and how it changed the game, so to be one of five artists to be doing this, and to maybe be changing someone else's mind... like the first time I heard Rent it blew my mind, so if I can blow somebody else's mind that hasn't heard some of the material that he did, then I'm super-gassed about that. It makes me feel very honoured to be doing it.

SJW, And does this feel extra special in a sort of way, given these are almost like his ‘secret songs’?

MM, It really does, for sure. It feels like we have this special little box of glitter that no one knows about, and it's just fab that we get to sprinkle it all over everyone all summer... and just have a lovely time.

SJW, Does it make it tricky given that there's no specific narrative to this piece?

MM, It does, but I think that's what's exciting about it, because we're like five artists who have come into a room to discover a whole box of Jonathan's work that no one knows anything about, and we get to take on that work and to share this work... and it's amazing because there's so many themes through the show that we get to explore them all, which is amazing. Actually, there's probably more themes to explore than your average show, because there are just so many different songs and stories in it instead of it being just one narrative. Obviously, I think it might be easier to follow just one narrative but think of it as fifteen different stories in one. It's like when you were a kid and you got a storybook, and if there were fifteen stories in it that was always way more exciting than just having the one.

SJW, That's true. Given that we would have most recently seen you in the BBC comedy Smoggie Queens I was wondering how you felt about Television verses Musical Theatre. Do you like to mix things up by going from one to the other, or does your heart belong to one more than the other?

MM, I feel like, as I trained in musical theatre, my heart is always with a live audience. I just think there's nothing more beautiful than telling a story to a room full of people... that being said, I also absolutely love TV, and I love my Smoggie Queens family, and the BBC are fab, but I've been fortunate enough to be able to go between both. So, I did Season One, and then I went away and did some workshops at the Young Vic, and then I went to do Season Two, and then I travelled the world touring as Fiyero in Wicked... and now I'm back doing this... and then hopefully there'll be a Season Three of Smoggie Queens. Hopefully I can just continue diving between them both, which is a luxury I'm very aware that I have.

SJW, You must be having the time your life.

MM, Honestly, you’re right! I am.

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