Stage Directions: Jordan Luke Gage – 'I’ve missed the applause, the laughter and the love of the audience'
Heathers and & Juliet star Jordan Luke Gage landed a job in the West End straight out of drama school. He tells Fergus Morgan about falling in love with theatre after seeing Les Misérables at 13, coping with the pandemic and his dream role in Hadestown
Jordan Luke Gage’s family had a tradition when he was a child: every year, they would see a West End show together as a family on Christmas Eve. One year, they saw The Lion King – and eight-year-old Gage was overwhelmed.
“I was just swept away by it,” he says. “That is definitely where the musical theatre bug started for me. My parents weren’t particularly talented in terms of the arts – I hope they don’t mind me saying that – but they were so supportive of me. I think they were a bit surprised, too. They said: ‘Where on earth did you get this from?’ ”
As a teenager, Gage attended stage camps, starred in high-school musicals and eventually earned a place to train at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. His “big break” after graduating, he says, came when he landed the job of alternate to Andrew Polec’s Strat in Bat Out of Hell. When Polec left the show in 2018, Gage stepped into his shoes full-time.
Last spring, Gage – now 29 – was starring as Romeo in the West End musical & Juliet when the pandemic hit. The lockdowns were tough, he says, but he tried to “make the best of a bad situation” by keeping busy with exercise, reading, cooking and performing in occasional online concerts.
“The fact that online stuff was a success is testament to how supportive the fans of some of our West End shows are,” he says. “Of course, they never compared to being there in-person at the theatre, but that people were keen to sit down and watch a concert via Zoom is amazing. I felt very fortunate.”
What production made you fall in love with theatre?
The Lion King definitely gave me that child-like obsession with theatre, but when I was a bit older – maybe about 13 – we went to see Les Misérables. That was the production that really flicked a switch within me, and made me realise that musical theatre was something I wanted to pursue as a career. The show is iconic.
What are you finding inspiring at the moment?
I’m listening to a lot of podcasts about acting and actors. There’s one called Eleven, which I love. It’s made up of interviews with performers about how they got into the industry and the challenges they’ve faced. Mental health is discussed quite a lot, which I think is good.
I’m also an avid reader. I’m really into Greek mythology, which surprises people. My favourite book at the moment is Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles, which is a modern adaptation of the Iliad.
What did you miss most about theatre?
Selfishly, as an actor, I missed the applause, the laughter and the love you get from an audience every night. You get addicted to the adrenaline, and it was weird not having that feeling for so long. But I missed everything – the fans at the stage door, the other cast members, everything.
What do you wish you could change about the performing arts industry?
I hope to see more diversity, both in casting and backstage. I believe that the person who is best for the job should get the job, regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity or anything else. We are living in 2021. These things should be changing faster.
What production are you most looking forward to seeing?
I have such a long list of shows I want to see. Back to the Future, The Prince of Egypt, Frozen, Amélie, Pretty Woman. There are so many.
What role do you really want to play?
My favourite show is Hadestown, maybe because I have this obsession with Greek mythology. If I had to pick one role to play, it would be Orpheus. But I feel like if I say that out loud I’ll jinx myself.
What projects are you involved in at the moment?
I’m so busy right now. I’m just finishing a 12-week run as JD in Heathers at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and, at the same time, I’m rehearsing to return as Romeo in & Juliet, which is reopening later this month at the Shaftesbury Theatre. I feel so, so grateful to be in this position. I know how lucky I am.
This run of Heathers has been lovely, but also really stressful because there has been this constant anxiety among cast members over testing positive for coronavirus and having to isolate. We have been sending each other pictures of our negative lateral flow tests every day. Thankfully, we have not had to close throughout the whole run.
I’m so excited to return to & Juliet. We had to close right when we were at our peak, just a few months into our run. None of us can wait to continue riding that wave after 18 months off.
After that, there are a few things in the pipeline. There are a couple of exciting shows coming up, and I’m looking to do more film and TV work, as well. I’d like to work in the US, and I’d love to do a tour to Australia or somewhere, too.
& Juliet returns to the Shaftesbury Theatre, London on September 24: shaftesburytheatre.com
Opinion
Recommended for you
Opinion
Recommended for you
Most Read
Across The Stage this weekYour subscription helps ensure our journalism can continue
Invest in The Stage today with a subscription starting at just £7.99
© Copyright The Stage Media Company Limited 2025
