Luke Newton Is Loving New York

Luke Newton has captivated audiences as a leading cast member of Bridgerton, the Netflix juggernaut and global phenomenon. But before he was courting romance among a star-studded cast, he got his start on the stage. 

This fall, New York audiences can catch him in House of McQueen, a new play by Darrah Cloud, playing at the brand new Mansion at Hudson Yards. I had the chance to speak with Luke about creating a new show in a brand new venue, his Book of Mormon days, and the challenges of working in a new city.

Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

Theatrely: Firstly, how is New York treating you? How's everything going?

I'm really, really loving it. Ever since I was training in theatre, or growing up doing amateur theatre in my hometown in England, the dream was always to be able to be involved in theatre in New York. It was just the pinnacle for me. So, when this opportunity came up and now that I'm here and really sort of living it, it feels kind of surreal. I'm absolutely loving it.

Tell me how you got involved with this project, how it came across your desk.

This was one for me that I was so impatient, to be able to get a hold of the script, to know who was involved, to find out the details and the ins and outs of what was happening. I got the script and read it immediately, and was then sort of hungry to book in a meeting. I always love to, before going any further, just chat through everything with the director and get a sense of their vision. And Sam [Helfrich] just really, and he continues to today, but he just blew me away with his knowledge, his vision, and passion behind it all that I just felt really safe. It's a big thing to move my life over to New York and trust someone's vision. I just immediately was behind him and was 

What was it about meeting Sam and hearing his vision and reading the script that got you excited about it?

I loved the script when I first read it, and it was an early draft of the script, but he just brought it to life in a way that I didn't imagine and I didn't read on the page. I think it was the contrast of knowing that this was to be really collaborative and, the writer Darrah Cloud, she has been in the room the entire time, which has been something that I've never really experienced. It was that collaborative sense of knowing that we were all in this together and all opinions mattered that made me feel really excited. 

And obviously there was the draw of the role itself. I knew of Alexander McQueen, not to the extent that I do now, but that was something that immediately just drew me in, to play a real fascinating contradiction of a person, and to figure out what it's like to be a genius. That was something that was kind of mind blowing to me in the rehearsal process, just figuring out what that must be like.

Your company is very exciting. What has it been like working with your company and finding the show together?

Honestly, it's been amazing. There's a real sort of passion. It's not like clocking in hours, getting through rehearsals, and then we're off and we're socializing. There's a real focus on this piece. I think it has to do with us creating this show from the ground up. The theatre is a brand new space. It was just an empty warehouse and it's all been turned into this immersive experience. I just feel very grateful that everyone is all in and it fuels a real energy in the rehearsal room. Having people like Emily and also Catherine [LeFrere], who plays Isabella, they really set the bar in the room. It's a really complicated piece because we jump back and forth in time throughout, so figuring out the subtleties to that has been complicated, but something that feels really rewarding once it just clicks.

It's so rare we get new theatre space here in New York. And for this to be the first in 20 years for a new space, that's very monumental. What does it mean to you that you're opening this brand new theatre?

I didn't know it had been that long. It's been so amazing because there's obviously been the complications that come with that, but then at the same time, we're kind of creating this space around our show, which from my department is just an absolute gift to be able to stand on stage and it be created around us. Each day I come in and something is different and they're working 24/7 to get everything ready for audiences. It's mind blowing, really.

I know you've been involved with the theatre for your whole life, but when did you really fall in love with it?

Wow. I mean, to be honest, I think when I was really young, like eight or nine. Both my aunties were in Les Miserables in the West End and I went to see them. I think for one production in particular, one of my auntie's played Fantine and the other played Eponine and I discovered that my Bridgerton co-star Jonathan Bailey was playing Gavroche at that time. I was this eight-year-old thinking, "I want to be on stage, on the barricades," so that's something for me. That just ignited that drive and spark in theatre and it's stayed with me forever. Later on in teens, I went into TV and film and really found a love for that style of acting, but it seems that theater is just calling me back every time. When I wrapped season three of Bridgerton, I remember really wanting to find a play. So I found The Shape of Things that I did in London. Then the same again, as soon as we wrapped season four, it was like on the hunt for what's about and this was top of the list for me to explore this role.

Speaking of that, when you get to the level where you are, Bridgerton and all the wild success that comes with that, you get an easier access into choosing the roles that you want to do for the stage, right? So, I'm curious, what excites you about new work and creating something from the ground up as an actor for live entertainment?

Luke: There's something about the creative process of being in a rehearsal room and figuring something out. When I did The Shape of Things, the play had been done previously, but it was 20 years ago, so we were sort of recreating this brand new version of that and modernizing it. When this opportunity came up, and I knew that there'd been previous drafts and they workshopped things, I just find it so rewarding but also equally challenging. I learn more about myself and as an actor in these couple weeks than I could on shooting something for six months. I find it really, really challenging, but in the best way. I just come away feeling a real sense of reward from that.

I want to talk to you about Book of Mormon for a moment. Obviously, it has been 14 years open on Broadway, 12 years open in the West End. When you think back to your time and that musical that has changed the path of modern day musicals, what comes to mind?

That was such a whirlwind for me. I was 20 years old and I did a hundred auditions. And when I think about it, I was so naive to the process of it and the scale of the show and the success of it. When the opportunity came up to audition for understudying Elder Price, it was just mind blowing to me. I did multiple rounds. There was a point when I sung for Casey Nicolaw, the director, and I remember it just feeling very high. I was 20 years old. I'm trying to screech out the top notes, and I finished, and then he looked at me and went, "wow, that was great." And I couldn't speak because I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and I just went: “Mmhmm.” And he went: “That's what we want. That's what we want Price to be, that level of confidence.” It was just hilarious. 

That journey for me was just incredible. I had no idea what a swing was. It was the original cast of London. So, working with Gavin Creel and Jared Gertner. Trey Parker and Matt Stone were on stage with us rehearsing with the understudies. I wish I could go back now and just appreciate that slightly more because I think this 20-year-old graduate was kind of like, "Well, this is what it is to be in the West End." When really, if I look back now, what an experience. I'm very, very grateful for it. I'm hoping that I can go and see the show. Maybe that's a trip that I need to make whilst I'm here in New York to see the run on Broadway.

What else are you excited to see while you're here in New York?

Luke: Well, I've already seen The Outsiders and that was something I'd seen a lot online about. I was obsessed with the music. I love that pop-sounding music and I think the cast is just incredibly talented, so that I loved. I'd love to see Hamilton. I've seen it in London and I was obsessed. Over lockdown, I became aware of it by watching the special on Disney+. I was looking up shows that have started Off-Broadway and then transferred and became massive and Hamilton was one of those, which I had no idea. I'd love to get around and see as many shows as possible.

It’s Hamilton's 10-year anniversary. Leslie's joining the cast again this fall. So it'd be a good time to go back. 

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