It’s a chilly but sunny October day in London. Alex, who was living his best life on stage at &Juliet every night before theatres went dark, takes another sip of his coffee, overlooking the River Thames. We’re just outside the National Theatre, around the corner from the Globe, surrounded by iconic buildings of the city, as he reflects on the memories associated with the South Bank and the area. “It’s my go to place. I just love it here”, he says are we’re strolling along the Thames.
Alex trained at Italia Conti in London, just a stone throw away. They’d all spent quite some time across the river after long days of classes. “We always felt so fancy just going to the pub here by the river” he laughs. And still today, the area is his go to for a chilled beverage or a meal with his mates. It’s nice to know, some things never change.
Alex first got into performing at a young age through discovering his love for tap dancing. “I love football, I love dancing, but I didn’t think I’d end up being a performer - or a footballer - when I started. I just liked doing everything and anything. But my school was very supportive, and when I saw Footloose in town back then with Derek Hough, I knew this was what I wanted to do.” He went on to perform in school plays, and graduated from Italia Conti in 2014. He went on to play in several shows around the UK, including Closer to Heaven at the Union Theatre, Eugenius! At The Other Palace and White Christmas at Curve, Leicester.
The current climate and uncertainty in the arts are difficult for everyone, but Alex seems positive and optimistic. &Juliet is planning to reopen on 12th March 2021, which will be almost a year after closing its doors. Alex has been with the show since a workshop in March 2019, and would love to continue the journey for a while. “It’s nice to know I have a show to go back to, and it’s a very special one. I didn’t really know what it was when I first auditioned as it was still in workshops. When I got offered the job, I knew it was a workshop with an out of town run and a potential in town run, but we didn’t know where we’d go, which theatres, we didn’t really know anything. It was and is all quite exciting.”
We obviously have to talk about the crazy week &Juliet went through just before lockdown, with Alex making his Shakespeare debut last minute the Wednesday before lockdown 1.0. “It’s a bit of a blur really, but it was a really special night.” He made his role debut alongside fellow cast mates Danielle Fiamanya as Juliet and Dillon Scott-Lewis as Romeo. “The cast was suffering from illnesses and injuries, not Covid related though, so there we a lot of changes and split tracks happening over the week anyway. As the week went on, a lot of people unfortunately had to go off, so we did a concert version for the last few performances. They were quite special actually - and what a way to end a crazy week.”
We wander into side streets and Alex tells me about the lengthy walks he likes to take on his way to work, or whenever he is visiting other places. He likes travelling and discovering new cities and areas. The best way to explore is to venture off. “And you always find the best places to eat”, he laughs. “I’d often pick a coffee shop I want to go to on my way to work, and just walk to work from there.”. He’d leave a couple of hours extra to get into work ahead of a show, and I love that even today, there’re still new things to discover because London is always changing. “I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”
Until the West End opens back up, Alex is trying to keep himself busy. He’s managed to get a work from home job, is passing on his knowledge teaching, and also keeping himself busy, learning new skills and staying active.
