A full week’s show run with two matinees is hard work but worth it, says Reuben Joseph, who is currently playing the role of US founding father Alexander Hamilton in the hip-hop and R&B hybrid musical Hamilton. He has been contracted to the show, which marks his London West End musical debut, until spring/summer 2023.
“I’m busy, certainly, but there are worse states to be in and I’m thankful for it,” says Joseph, who trained at Glasgow Clyde College and graduated in 2018.
From Helensburgh, west of Glasgow, Joseph has racked up an impressive roster of roles in theatre shows including The Cheviot, The Stag And The Black, Black Oil and Midsummer with the National Theatre of Scotland and The Tragedy Of Macbeth in London’s Almeida Theatre. It was while appearing in “the Scottish play” in 2021 that Joseph auditioned for Hamilton.
His screen work includes turns in Bafta TV-nominated crime drama Vigil, alongside Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie, and Traces, penned by Amelia Bullmore based on an original idea by bestselling Scottish crime writer Val McDermid, both for the BBC. He also appeared on screen in streaming service BritBox’s original production Crime, based on Irvine Welsh’s novel of the same name.
“I love the immediacy of theatre, the live engagement, getting to see the whites of people’s eyes and the adrenaline rush,” says Joseph of the distinction between working in theatre and on screen. “I’ve done a couple of TV shows and a short film here and there, and I’m still getting to grips with that whole medium. I enjoy the screen work because you get a real sense that you’re all collaborators, trying to make something.”
Joseph’s interest in acting was sparked when he watched the DVD extras of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 as a youngster. It featured bite-size documentaries that covered various film departments, from sound and costume to visual effects and cameras and, of course, acting.
“In terms of the creative arts, movies were my first love,” he says. “You don’t want to rule yourself out of anything. I’m a singer/songwriter and enjoy writing from that perspective and that kind of medium. Maybe that’s something I could utilise or develop further down the road.” Watch all spaces.
Contact: Sorcha Stormer, Independent Talent Group
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