In the Chichester Festival Theatre’s summer production of Oliver!, Harry Cross made his adult theatre debut playing Dandy / Ensemble alongside Billy Jenkins as The Artful Dodger and Lochlan White as Charley Bates. With the musical directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, Harry will rejoin the cast when it transfers to London’s Gielgud Theatre in December, which will mark his adult West End debut at the age of 17. Harry has performed in numerous theatre shows playing Young Patrick in Mame at Hope Mill Theatre in 2019, Tommy Stubbins in the UK Tour of Doctor Dolittle, Toby in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Lowry as part of the UK Tour with Jason Manford, and he has been in the world premiere of The Wind in the Willows in 2016 for his professional debut. As well as his stage experience, Harry was part of the 2019 Elton John biopic film Rocketman, which starred Taron Egerton as Elton John and Bryce Dallas Howard as Sheila. We caught up with Harry about playing Dandy / Ensemble in Oliver! at Chichester Festival Theatre, being in the cast of Mame at Hope Mill Theatre and working on the Elton John biopic Rocketman.
How was your time playing Dandy / Ensemble in Oliver! at the Chichester Festival Theatre this summer for your adult theatre debut?
Honestly one of the best experiences of my life! Getting to perform such an incredible show with such an incredible cast every single night in such a beautiful theatre is like a dream come true. The role of Dandy has never existed in previous Oliver! productions, usually it is just The Artful Dodger and Charley Bates but with this new production there are now three of us, which creates such an amazing dynamic. Chichester is such a beautiful place and I loved exploring it on my days off. For example, if the weather was nice, a few of us would drive down to the beach for the day and one day we even cycled!
What was it like being directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, and how was it seeing the audience response to the production?
Having Matthew direct and choreograph the show was brilliant. Having done ballet from a young age, Matthew was always someone I dreamed of working with. He allowed us to workshop our characters during the rehearsal period and made it feel very collaborative which I was extremely grateful for. The responses we got every night from our audiences was remarkable, standing ovations more or less every night!
Is there anything you enjoy most about working on Oliver! and performing alongside the rest of the cast?
I think the thing I enjoy most about working on Oliver! is just the sheer amount of fun we have on and off stage. Everyone within the cast is so welcoming and I feel like we all get on so well, which creates such a magical dynamic on stage. I think my favourite number to perform has to be Consider Yourself as it’s the first number in the show where everyone is on stage and the energy is absolutely electric!
You will be returning to the show later this year when it transfers to the West End in December at the Gielgud Theatre, what are you looking forward to most for the West End run?
The thing that I am looking forward to the most is bringing the show to a new audience. To be making my adult West End debut at the age of 17 is something I could have only dreamed of and I cannot wait to get started and to be performing this wonderful show to thousands of more people!
Can you tell us about performing in Mame at the Hope Mill Theatre in 2019 as Young Patrick?
Mame at the Hope Mill was so special as I had never performed in such an intimate theatre space like that, with only around 100 seats it felt like you could connect with the audience. Performing alongside Tracie Bennett was remarkable and getting to sing such a beautiful song to her (My Best Girl) is something that I will cherish forever. Having Nick Winston direct and choreograph was amazing, he really created a special show which I will never forget.
You played Tommy Stubbins in the UK Tour of Doctor Dolittle, how was this?
Playing a role like Tommy Stubbins in the show Doctor Dolittle as a child was super fun! Having the opportunity to work with puppetry was something I had never done before and learnt so much. The songs, the choreography and even being wheeled on in a great pink sea snail was amazing.
What was it like being part of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang UK Tour as Toby?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was brilliant! I learnt so much from that show. Performing at the Lowry was remarkable. I don’t know how I didn’t get stage fright at such a young age! Jason Manford was so lovely on stage and off, so was the rest of the cast.
How was it working on the world premiere of The Wind in the Willows in 2016?
The Wind in the Willows was my professional debut and will always hold a special place in my heart. I remember loving my costume because it had spikes as I played a hedgehog and it was the first time I had ever worn a wig, I thought it was so cool. I remember the first night I performed at the Lowry in Manchester and from then I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.
What do you remember most from your time playing Grisha in The Cherry Orchard?
The Cherry Orchard was such a cool experience as the production we did was at the Royal Exchange which is a theatre in the round so I learnt about how to involve every side of the audience without having any dialogue. I learnt so much from our director Sir Michael Boyd, who taught me how to act without having to say any dialogue.
How did you find the experience filming for the 2019 Elton John biopic Rocketman?
To be a part of such a special film alongside Taron Egerton and Bryce Dallas Howard was a real ‘pinch me’ moment. It is an experience I will never forget and getting to do it alongside some of my friends was incredible!
Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?
I did my primary school nativity and played King Herod and my music teacher said to my mum that “I have something special” and that she should take me to a local amateur dramatics, so she did. I went there for a couple of years then my friend’s mum told me to audition for Stagebox. I auditioned and got in and then from there I made my professional debut in 2016 and have been fortunate enough to continue working.
What are some of your favourite theatre shows to watch, and which would you like to see that you haven’t done so as yet?
My favourite theatre show that I have watched is probably Wicked, the songs and the choreography are just incredible! I would love to see Follies if it ever came back, Miss Saigon, Cabaret and Moulin Rouge. I can’t wait to be in London and to be able to watch shows on my days off, as being from Manchester it’s not as accessible.
How do you like to spend your free time?
In my free time I love to see my friends. My friends are like my family and I honestly could not live without them. I’ve recently just started going to the gym to keep my stamina up. I also love going into Manchester for the day doing a bit of shopping and have some nice food. Also love a concert! I’ve been lucky enough to go to a few but my favourite artist has to be Frank Ocean.
Have you been given any advice over your acting career so far that has stuck with you?
The most important advice I have ever been told is probably ‘never give up’. Everyone says it and it is so true. In this industry you have to have a copious amount of perseverance as you never get every job you audition for. If it is your dream to perform in the West End and it hasn’t happened yet, just keep going and it will happen!
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