We sat down for an exclusive interview with Joshua LeClair about Midnight in the Toyshop, starting at St Martin’s Theatre this April. Joshua’s stage credits include Matilda (international tour), Road Show (Union Theatre), Hello Again (Hope Theatre) and voice roles for Disney and CBeebies. He is currently pursuing a PhD in musical theatre performance and training at Goldsmiths.
This show runs from 7th April til 12th April at St Martin’s Theatre – Tickets here: https://www.perform.org.uk/contact/live-events/choose-event-month/midnight-in-the-toyshop
Midnight in the Toyshop has such a magical premise. What excited you most about being part of this production?
My favourite part of being a performer is getting to be part of the creation of new musicals, so I jumped at the chance to perform in Midnight in the Toyshop in the West End! And getting to run around as a magical unicorn for a few weeks? Icing on the cake.
What kind of atmosphere are you hoping to help create as the toyshop comes to life on stage?
I think the show will bring different things to everyone. Children will hopefully experience the wonder of watching their favourite toys come to life and being invited to be part of the experience, and adults will hopefully feel the nostalgia of cherished childhood memories of their own. Overall, I hope the show offers an invitation to jump into a world of imagination and play that they get to take home with them after the show.
You’ve trained both in Canada and the UK, at Sheridan College and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. How have those different environments shaped you as a performer?
Training in Canada gave me my core technique; I credit Sheridan College and the excellent teachers I had there with making me an artist. When training in the UK, I learned how art becomes real in the world by experiencing the way theatre is so uniquely and deeply woven into the fabric of British culture.
Now that you’re pursuing a PhD at Goldsmiths, University of London, how has academic research begun to influence your practical work on stage?
I’m really interested in the way teaching and learning happen in musical theatre contexts. I’ve been much more aware of the way singing, dancing and acting are taught and how it interacts with the alchemical process of creating musical theatre within the performer. Everyone is supported toward their brilliant performance in a different way, and yet each performance belongs in the world we’ve created!
If someone is bringing their family to the show for the first time, what would you love them to discover together?
I’d love for first-time theatregoers to discover the necessity of live performance in an age of increased division and solitude. There is a magic of “being-with”, an aura, to experiencing the unfolding of art in community with others. I hope new audiences can sense the value of deliberately choosing how we spend our time, presence and attention in a way that can only be found in real space and real time. There, we can witness and collaborate in a collective artistic experience.
You can see Joshua playing the role of Stardust in Perform Productions’ new family musical Midnight in the Toyshop, for a limited Easter holidays run at St Martin’s Theatre in London’s West End, from Tuesday 7 to Sunday 12 April. Tickets are available to book here: https://www.perform.org.uk/contact/live-events/choose-event-month/midnight-in-the-toyshop