We sat down with Dean John-Wilson to chat about the new musical A Mirrored Monet. Dean is playing the Impressionist painter Claude Monet in the production which explores the life and work of the man behind the much loved impressionist masterpiece – The Water Lilies.
On the biggest challenge portraying Monet at a fragile point.
“The hardest part is balancing his brilliance with how fragile he is. Later in life he’s physically weak, a bit isolated, and you feel the cost of his obsession. It’s tempting to make him just tragic or inspiring, but really it’s those quiet, human moments that matter. Moments where he’s still sharp, still searching, but aware of loss. Getting that across without making it sentimental, that’s the tricky part, and also the thing that makes it so rewarding.”
On influence of Monet’s letters and diaries.
“His letters and diaries are so immediate, so messy sometimes. You see his doubts, his obsessions, little glimpses of his day-to-day life. Reading them lets you kind of step inside his head instead of just mimicking him. On stage, it helps me respond as Monet might, his fears, his curiosity, small private moments. It’s not about acting clever, it’s about listening to his voice and letting it guide how you move, pause, breathe and react.”
On insights into creative struggles completing The Water Lilies
“Finishing The Water Lilies was never easy for him. It was exhausting, emotionally and physically, and he was never fully satisfied. They do say a painting is never really finished. Just abandoned. He was chasing something he couldn’t quite catch. Almost a beautiful decay. I think he understood light better than he understood himself. Playing that, you feel the tension, the devotion, the doubt, the obsession. It’s a reminder that creating anything worthwhile is messy, it’s repetitive, it’s relentless. You get a sense of how much it demands from a person, even when it’s beautiful.”
On relationships with Renoir and Manet.
“Monet’s friends and rivals like Renoir and Manet really shaped him. On stage, you see how admiration, jealousy, support is all tangled up. They show him as human, not just genius. And it reminds you that even great artists aren’t in a vacuum; they’re shaped by who they work and live alongside. Those relationships bring out his insecurities, his inspiration. All the little bits that make him who he is.”
On how production design helps inhabit Monet’s world.
“The projections, the music, the period details, create a space you can almost step into. It’s not just scenery, it’s alive, it moves with the story, with his memories. That gives me something real to react to. I can imagine seeing, remembering, painting it in the moment. It helps me be Monet in that world, and hopefully it helps the audience feel it too.”
On what playing Monet teaches about the cost of artistic legacy.
“Monet’s life shows that legacy isn’t free. His devotion came at a great cost, to himself, to those around him. Relationships, peace, simplicity. Sometimes those things are sacrificed for brilliance. Playing him makes you aware of that, and how fragile and human the person behind the art is. You see that beauty and struggle aren’t separate, they come hand in hand.
In that respect, the show leaves you with more questions than answers “