Review: The Jonathan Larson Project (Southwark Playhouse Borough)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not everybody reading this will be immediately familiar with the name Jonathan Larson, but they’ll almost certainly be familiar with his work. Responsible for writing the classic Rent, Larson's life was tragically cut short, dying aged just 35, essentially as he was getting started and robbing the world of the many other shows and ideas he would have gone on to create. Though Larson may have only left a handful of shows behind, the quality and impact of them have certainly been felt, with his other notable show tick, tick… BOOM! having been recently adapted into a movie. Now, a new show attempts to bring more of his songs into the world with the UK premiere of The Jonathan Larson Project, but would this be a fitting extension of his legacy and tribute to his genius, or is this one show that should have stayed in the archives?

The Jonathan Larson Project is essentially a celebration of the man behind the shows, pulling together a series of unreleased and even unfinished songs from a decade, starting in 1982, years before Rent would make its debut. Created by theatre historian and producer Jennifer Ashley Tapper after she spent time researching Jonathan Larson’s archives and discovering songs of his that had rarely been performed publicly, the resulting show had its premiere as a concert in 2018 with a studio album released and an acclaimed run off-Broadway last year. The timing of this UK premiere is particularly poignant, with 2026 marking the 30th anniversary of Jonathan’s passing, and what better way to honour his enduring legacy than showcase the strength in his writing by unearthing previously unheard numbers?

To make it clear, The Jonathan Larson Project isn’t a musical, nor is it even a song cycle. This is essentially a revue, pulling together these unreleased songs in the loosest of narratives. Though there is a slight structure to tie together all of these songs, essentially each is presented as a standalone number. Given Larson’s storytelling nature both in individual numbers and the bigger picture of his shows, we do still get to experience his talent and knack for creativity in these songs, but there is always the lingering question of context and whether some of these numbers would be elevated when presented in their original form, often as part of a bigger narrative. There are some striking highlights to be found (more on them shortly) though not every number quite lands with the same impact, with a particularly perplexing sequence involving an American politician that left me scratching my head more than anything else.

While the quality is clearly not going to be the same as Rent or tick, tick… BOOM!, it does drastically vary through the show with some numbers making it clear why they never made it to one of Larson’s fully staged shows. That said, in lieu of anything new being possible from Larson, this is the next best thing and even songs rejected by Larson are far better than some others you may hear. There are some absolute gems to be found here too, so if you are looking for a new song to add to your musicals playlist, you may discover a new favourite here.

It feels as if Southwark Playhouse Borough is the perfect home for this London premiere, with their commitment to presenting new musicals in line with the spirit of Jonathan Larson. The intimate nature of the setting allows the cast of five to roam around the audience and provide that connection so many of Larson’s songs are famous for. It was a shame that the sound on the night I attended was plagued with problems, making it difficult to hear the cast at times with moments sounding muffled at best and inaudible at worst. With Larson, every lyric deserves to be heard so it felt as if the production never quite reached its full potential over this frustrating issue. I can only review based on the performance I witnessed, and I hope that the sound issue only affected the performance I went to, so I would hope and expect that the sound proves better at future performances.

Larson’s songs are brought to life by a remarkable cast of five. Max Harwood may be best known for his leading role in the Everybody’s Talking About Jamie movie, but there is a chance to witness his fine vocals in an intimate space, with ‘Falling Apart’ a particular highlight. Marcus Collins similarly demonstrates his strengths, showcasing his charisma with a cheeky ‘Casual Sex, Pizza & Beer’. Michael Mather was absent at this performance so it was down to off-stage cover Edward Flynn Haddon to step into the role, in an example of how vital covers are and how they can actually lift a show. Haddon was a revelation when he performed, setting himself up to be one to watch in the future, with a Ben Platt style tone to his voice coming into its own on numbers such as ‘SOS’ and ‘Find The Key’.

It was the women who dominated this production, however. Natalie Kassanga embraced her inner pop star with a playful ‘Out Of My Dreams’ before bringing the house down with a rousing and powerful ‘Love Heals’ in a climactic number. Imelda Warren-Green was in scene-stealing form, proving a massive standout on the rather bizarre but mesmerising ‘Hosing The Furniture’ (it drew to mind ‘I’m Breaking Down’ from Falsettos so if you like that number, you’ll love this). However, it was her performance of ‘Break Out The Booze’ that proved to be the performance of the night, demonstrating incredible vocals and acting through song in a captivating performance. The cast coming together for an emotional climax of ‘Piano’ ended the night on a high, with the unfinished nature of the song acting as an emotional and timely reminder of how robbed the world was once Larson had sadly departed.

If you love Rent or tick, tick… BOOM!, you’ll want to get yourself down to Southwark Playhouse to see an extension of the talent of Jonathan Larson. Similarly, if you don’t know much about the man or have never heard of him, there is something for everyone in The Jonathan Larson Project. It may be imperfect and have a couple of issues it needs to address, but for the most part that actually adds to its charm, representing the flawed but unashamedly real people that can be found in Larson’s musicals. How do you measure a man? Well, The Jonathan Larson Project does a pretty good job in 85 minutes (that’s 525,515 minutes less than a year if you’re counting) making for an enjoyable evening celebrating a writer and composer who made a huge impact on the world of musical theatre in a short space of time. 30 years later, it is rather fitting and beautiful that his legacy can still be honoured and even furthered through projects such as this.

The Jonathan Larson Project plays at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 22nd August. Tickets from https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/the-jonathan-larson-project/

Photos by Danny Kaan