Interview: Jon Robyns on LEGALLY BLONDE at Curve Leicester

Jon Robyns has had a sensational career in musical theatre over the last twelve years and has a CV that most performers could only dream of. He has had leading roles in productions such as Avenue Q, Les Miserables, Spamalot and Memphis to name but a few. Currently, he is playing Emmett Forrest in Curve's production of Legally Blonde in Leicester. BWW:UK speak to Robyns about his time on the show thus far, as well as his career highlights and future goals.

You are just over halfway through the run of the Legally Blonde at Curve. How has the experience been so far?

Amazing! I love working at Curve. This is my first time working here and it's such a vibrant, new building. The team at Curve really understand their audiences and who they need to cater for/to. It's such a great place to be at this time because Nikolai Foster's tenure has just started and it's his first big musical here. Legally Blonde is stamped with 'Made at Curve' and it truly is made at Curve. They make everything: the props, costumes, sets... They also have a recording studio where we have done a few bits for the show. I feel very lucky to be here.

Curve is such a unique venue to work in and is much more immersive for audiences. How have you found the set-up?

I thought the whole 'being included the audience' thing was going to feel a bit strange but it really doesn't. It's not like we are walking around in particularly outlandish costumes...well, Lucie (Jones - playing Elle) does! I just wear jeans so no one notices! The sides of the stage lift up at the end of the show so the audience can see backstage and to see the workings of the clock, as it were, you can see the fascination on people's faces.

Had you seen Legally Blonde on stage before and was the character of Emmett on your radar to play?

Yes, I saw it in the West End a few years back. Emmett has always been a part I wanted to do so I felt privileged when they asked me to do it here.

How was it working with Nikolai Foster (Director of Legally Blonde and Artistic Director at Curve) in rehearsals?

Nikolai is the perfect blend of director because he has an idea of what he wants but lets you explore first and then finds a compromise between what each of you bring to the table. He moulds them into one so it feels like a really collaborative effort. Some directors do extremes of both and that's their style which is fine, but Nikolai's approach meant for a chilled and enjoyable rehearsal process which rarely happens!

The remarkable Lucie Jones is playing Elle in this production and by your own admission was someone you were greatly looking forward to working with.

She's such a delight, even more so than I'd originally hoped. She's the perfect leading lady: she works so bloody hard! Lucie is exactly what the part requires - casting at its best. Also, it helps that she's so nice and approachable; we're really good mates which I hope filters through to our on-stage relationship.

Do you have a favourite scene or musical number in the show?

I like performing 'Take It Like A Man' which is when Emmett transforms in a Clark Kent moment. This number is the defining point when the penny drops about being in love with Elle and his eyes are opened, in the same way that he opens her eyes in the first act. It's a beautifully balanced piece in that respect. The parts are so well written and fleshed out, making the story and character arcs so accessible. This means that you really feel the moments as they come.

This production of Legally Blonde is having a limited run in Korea this summer. Are the cast moving with the show?

Some of the current cast are and some aren't but I will certainly be going to South Korea to reprise Emmett which I'm very excited about.

You recently did a charity concert in Dunstable for Diabetes UK and you frequently perform in other one-off events on your days off. Would you say you are a bit of a workaholic?!

My wife would say I'm a bit of a workaholic! I don't do everything I get asked to do because that would be insane and you have to rest. Louise (Dearman) is a good friend of mine and asked me if I would do the concert in Dunstable last weekend. I did the same gig for her last year; it's for a great charity and it was a great bunch of people involved. I'm able to pick and choose what I take on but I probably do need to cut down a bit!

You were in the original London cast of Avenue Q which opened in 2006 to huge acclaim. Did you enjoy your time on that show?

Avenue Q was the defining experience of my career. I can't believe it was ten years ago - it seems so long ago yet seems like yesterday! It was my first West End job so I had no frame of reference; I just thought this was what the West End was like. I have since learnt that it is not necessarily! Other projects have been similarly exciting but never in such a frenzied way. Because Avenue Q was so different and fresh, it had an expectation coming over from Broadway with a Tony in its pocket, plus the puppeteering side of it; people really hadn't experienced it before. It was so, so exciting! We were doing press two, sometimes three, times a day plus it taught me a great new skill. The opening cast really bonded. I particularly enjoyed the Oliviers this year because Luke Evans handed Matt Henry his award; both of whom were in the original London cast of Avenue Q. I was screaming at the TV!

Your last album, Open Book, was released in 2011. Are there any plans to release another?

Yes, we are working on another album which should be released this year depending on how busy we get! We are talking about what we are going to do now with the intention to record it in the summer for an Autumn release.

Open Book showcased a more classical tone to your voice in parts. Did you contemplate a career in opera?

Yes, I was part of the Welsh National Youth Opera when I was a kid and I was planning to study opera with the hope of being a chorister/opera singer, but then I *foolishly* decided to go into musical theatre! I was lucky to receive a scholarship to study at Mountview in North London as finance is such a big part of whether you can go to drama school. That seemed like the best route for me at the time and I've never regretted it for a second.

Do you have any future career aspirations?

I always love it when new writing comes along. Also, doing exactly what I'm doing at Curve is the most fulfilling thing to do. Writing that is tried, tested and well-structured and you get the opportunity to reinvent it. Musical theatre is more often than not about recreating someone else's work than creating your own and doing things like Legally Blonde and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (which I did recently at West Yorkshire Playhouse), we were able to take a piece that everyone knew worked and put our own spin on it. That is what I hope my career continues to do...but I also want to play Jean Valjean in Les Miserables at some point. I'll just not shave for a bit!

Legally Blonde continues to play at Curve in Leicester until 14 May 2016 before opening at the Deagu Opera House in South Korea on 25 June 2016 for a limited run.

Photo credit: Catherine Ashmore

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