Christian Maynard (Midnight Cowboy)

Based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy, which inspired the beloved triple Academy Award-winning 1969 film, starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, Midnight Cowboy will have its world premiere at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant with performances beginning on 4th April. The story explores the depths of friendship and ambition with a book by Bryony Lavery (Frozen) and soundtrack by three-time Ivor Novello Award-winning composer Francis “Eg” White. We took the opportunity to speak with Christian Maynard, who is performing in this new musical, to tell us more.

Q) Hello! Please could you introduce yourself and tell us what your role is in the show?

My name is Christian Maynard and I play Tom Baby.

Q) Midnight Cowboy is based on a book, which was then turned into an Academy Award-winning movie. Can audiences expect a similar plot to the novel or the movie, or have there been some adaptations?

The majority of the context and the scenes would always go straight back to the book, we would read a massive passage and then just kind of dive into the scene. Obviously, in a script, it is condensed compared to the book, so it's more of a condensed version. But I would say we've pulled from it in the most authentic way.

Q) Were you previously aware of the story before you auditioned or, how has your process been to discover the show and your role in it?

I did the workshops twice, so I was actually a part of the development of the musical before we even got to this stage, and I would look from the ground up. I would love to say it is a standard musical but it's really not. If anything, it has beautiful, amazing music that all hits within a kind of play, um a stage play filled through it. So it has that naturalism to it. I'd heard of the book and had to do research in the time of doing the development process of the workshops. So, yes, I had quite a lot of knowledge before jumping into making this show today.

Q) Last month, you starred in the Musical Concert version of “If/Then” at the Savoy Theatre. How is your process different, as an actor, for preparing for a short run rather than a longer extended run?

If/Then was a two-week process, and that was a quick turnaround. I would say, it all comes down to detail. You don't have the time to go into the small areas and kind of make it completely neat. In a longer run, there's way more to dive into and I think you just don't get that when you do a concert or a project where you can only rehearse for two weeks.

I think as well, when it comes down to text and understanding the show and telling a story, everyone is on board with a longer production. With a short production, the vibe is closer to: “everyone do your best.” And I guess that is the joy of it and the excitement of going into a short production. But when you do a longer protection it's about “okay, we've done the first show…we've done the second show…we've done the fourth show. How do we then make the fifth show even better?” And just kind of refining everything and making it simpler and allowing the audience time to understand and reflect on it.

EK: And having time to grow as a performer as well and letting yourself get into the routine of it all.

I guess, I remember when we did that concert, you see the audience, but you don't know how they react and you can't really play with that. But with Cowboys, you’ve got the time to land and have silence in certain places and just really perfect your craft.

Q) What do you expect/want audiences to take away from this show?

Cowboys has a very dark stalk, it is a real gutrench from the story into a world and it brings a perspective that challenges the audience. It really pulls an audience into looking into someone else's perspective and I think that challenges a lot of British audiences specifically.

Q) Why British audiences specifically?

I think it's because you're looking at it from a perspective that is not your own. And that is the agenda that you kind of have to put on yourself when you enter a show that really challenges your perspective. But that's art, you know, looking through someone else's eyes and understanding their choices and why the plot went down that road and why that character keeps falling into the same mistakes. You've kind of got to be open-minded, and I think the British population, we struggle as a society to release that and allow ourselves to reflect on what we do and why we do it.

And I think that's the lovely thing about art, that it challenges you. There's not a lot of shows that go “wow that person's life was so tough.” Like I actually feel like I'm in this story. And then there's times where you're like “wow, like that's so beautiful.” And having that role is amazing. So, I think audiences should really expect a lovely roller coaster that will challenge you in the best way possible.

Midnight Cowboy runs at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 4th April until 17th May.

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