UK premiere brings Larson’s lesser-heard work to Borough
The UK premiere of The Jonathan Larson Project touched down at Southwark Playhouse Borough on Monday 13 July 2026, drawing a full house for an evening built around the composer’s lesser-known songs. Staged in The Large at 77–85 Newington Causeway, SE1 6BD, the concert-style show leans into Larson’s back catalogue, gathering material that rarely sees the light of day.
Larson, best known for Rent and tick, tick… BOOM!, is remembered here through a carefully assembled sequence of numbers pulled from his archives. Rather than a plot-driven musical, the format is a curated song cycle that foregrounds writing craft and musical portraiture. As one review of the Southwark performance noted,
“rare, unproduced, and previously unheard tracks”
are put centre stage, with arrangements and vocals carrying the storytelling.
Southwark Playhouse setting shapes an intimate showcase
The night opened with Greene Street, an early 1983 piece that sets a brisk, downtown mood. From there, the company moved through selections that nod to Larson’s familiar thematic ground — young lives, urban grit, restless hope — but without relying on the well-trodden hits. The Southwark Playhouse set-up keeps the audience close to the music, putting the performers and the piano-led textures within easy reach of the front rows.
Five performers shared the platform, each taking the lead across the programme. Michael Mather stepped into a cut song from early drafts of Rent with Valentine’s Day, showing off crisp phrasing and control. Natalie Kassanga brought soaring vocals and quiet intensity to her features, while Imelda Warren-Green lifted the pace with a bold, brassy turn on Break Out the Booze. Max Harwood added an easy charm across ensemble sections, and Marcus Collins drew a strong response with rich, soulful lead lines.
Cast highlights at a glance
| Performer | Notable moment |
|---|---|
| Michael Mather | “Valentine’s Day” (early Rent draft) |
| Natalie Kassanga | Emotion-led vocal showcases |
| Imelda Warren-Green | “Break Out the Booze” |
| Max Harwood | Ensemble grounding and charm |
| Marcus Collins | Soul-inflected leads |
Why this matters for Southwark’s theatre-goers
For local audiences, this is a chance to hear Larson’s voice in fresh colours. Rather than revisiting Rent or tick, tick… BOOM! in familiar form, the programme dips into sketches and stand-alone songs that illuminate how his ideas took shape. The approach plays to Southwark Playhouse’s strengths as a space for discovery: a mid-scale room that nurtures new presentations and gives performers room to stretch.
That focus came through in the balance of the evening. The material’s period feel — flashes of 1980s New York and the restlessness of young creatives — sits comfortably alongside the immediacy of the performances. Without set changes or big scenic flourishes, the impact is all in the arrangements and delivery, which suits this Borough stage and an audience that comes for live music-making more than spectacle.
Programme and performances carry the storytelling
The curation keeps momentum, starting with the streetwise push of Greene Street and weaving toward more introspective numbers. The ensemble’s blend gives the night a through-line even as the material changes tone. Where the songs touch on themes familiar to long-time Larson listeners, the company’s work makes them feel newly minted, with crisp dynamics and clear text. Across the board, the vocals are the engine; the intimate room means nuance is heard as clearly as the big notes.
- Location: Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77–85 Newington Causeway, SE1 6BD
- Format: archive-driven song cycle, not a book musical
- Standouts: “Greene Street,” “Valentine’s Day,” “Break Out the Booze”
For a borough that turns out steadily for bold, small-to-mid-scale theatre, this premiere is a tidy fit — a night made for people who like to be close to the work and hear hidden corners of a renowned writer’s catalogue, delivered by a company alive to the material’s pulse.
