Pop Culturalist Chats with Joseph Taylor

Joseph Taylor is in the midst of his New York stage debut. Hailing from the UK, he is one of the fantastic actors in the newest production of Sweeney Todd at the Barrow Street Theatre (we loved it). In fact, his portrayal of Tobias may just be one of our favorites from the show. Joe has been a part of this unique and inventive production from the beginning so we were excited to chat about it with him.

PC: You’ve been with this Sweeney Todd production since its original London days. What has the transition been like from then to now in New York?
Joe: I started with the production in 2014 in the actual pie shops. It’s been a ridiculous fairy tale, I suppose; the way it’s progressed and expanded and the opportunities that have come from it have been amazing. We started with an eight-week run, low-pay, [and] outside of central London. We had no idea whether anyone would like it, or whether it would work, and we all took a kind of leap of faith. Then Mr. Sondheim himself came to see it and suggested to Cameron Mackintosh that we move into a space in the West End, and [Mackintosh] gave us a space for free. It’s taken over a year to get here, but now we’re here in New York!

PC: What has been the biggest challenge of doing this type of smaller, immersive show rather than a traditional stage play?
Joe: It’s less of a challenge; it’s just a totally different experience. You can never relax. It can never become stale or boring because every day is different. The audience is like the extra character in the show, and I think, at first, we were all kind of terrified of it. But, actually, it’s quite an empowering feeling—being so close to people, being able to react in very small ways to stuff, and have things unmiked. It started as a challenge, but now I kind of love it. It’s going to be a funny feeling going back to a normal theater.

PC: Do you have a favorite moment of the show?
Joe: For me personally, I love that first moment when I turn the lights off, and the show’s about to start. It starts in this kind of strip-lighting—restaurant-style bright—kind of garish, and everyone’s just chatting. I turn the light off, and I can feel them just quietly waiting for the show to start. The opening of the second act [is another favorite]. I get to go outside, and no one is expecting it. I play a little glockenspiel and bang a drum and sing out into the foyer. Originally [in London] when we did that we had an agreement with a barbershop across the road, and we used to go there and open the show across road and lead everyone back to the pie shop. It’s always been such a special moment.

PC: If you could take on a different role in the production, who would you play?
Joe: [laughs] This is ridiculous because it would never happen, but I want to play Mrs. Lovett at some point in my life. She’s got the most amazing part, and maybe one day when I’m 40 I’ll do a gender-swap Sweeney.

PC: You are leaving the show in April. Do you have any advice for John-Michael Lyles, who is taking over the role of Tobias?
Joe: I want him to make his own thing of it. Our director is so brilliant in the sense that it’s still the same production, but with some new cast members. He really allows them to find their own way within the framework that we’ve created. He’s phenomenally talented, John-Michael, and he’s such a lovely guy. I’m excited for him to take on the role, especially in this production. It’s really special to be playing Tobias. I think the best advice is to just throw himself into it and enjoy every moment. It’s so special and unique. I doubt I’ll ever do anything like it ever again.

PC: What has been your favorite part about being in New York City?
Joe: I love the city. I’ve never been here before so it’s been a real experience to be coming here. And what an amazing excuse to come here! I live in London, usually. This really is a 24-hour city. There’s always something to be found and do, and, I have to say, I’ve made friends in the most unlikely places. Maybe it’s my accent doing all the work—people wanting to talk to me because of my accent—but I’ve made great friends. I’ve been to loads of protests and the women’s march and made friends all over the place. They’ve shared what they love about the city. The connections I’ve made have been lovely.

PC: What do you have coming up next?
Joe: I have no idea! I’ll go home and reunite with my cat and my friends and see what happens next. This will hopefully be the start of some bigger things for me. This is the most incredible job I’ve ever had. So, I’ve got no set plans. Just get back onto the audition trail and see what comes.

PC: Someday, if there’s another revival of a classic show like this, what show would you want that to be? And what role would you take?
Joe: I think that, in talking small-scale immersive, we could find a shop and do Little Shop of Horrors, and I could play Seymour. That’s always been one of my dreams, and I look at the pie shop now and think that that could work really well.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

Guilty Pleasure Movie
Hocus Pocus

Favorite TV Show to Binge-Watch
I’ve watched so much TV. Game of Thrones is an obvious one. BoJack Horseman, Rick and Morty…those are great cartoons.

Favorite Book
I recently read American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I wanted to read that before it came onto TV. That was great.

Favorite Play or Musical
My favorite musical is actually Sweeney Todd!

Go-to Karaoke Song
I never do karaoke, but, if I did, I’d probably scream out “It’s All Coming Back to Me” by Celine Dion.

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of Joseph Taylor