In Shooting Star: A New Musical, Finton Flynn played Taylor ‘TNT’ Trent, with the show exploring the Adult entertainment industry and is the work by Florian Klein, Erik Ransom and Thomas Zaufke, and Finton is hoping to reprise his role in the future. Over Christmas 2024, Finton appeared in his first pantomime playing Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk at Nottingham Playhouse, and it’s been announced that he will be in the cast of A Christmas Carol at Leeds Playhouse from Thursday 20th November through to Saturday 17th January 2026. Finton made his tour debut in the UK & Ireland Tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie as Cover/Alternate Jamie, and he originated the UK role of Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Sings: The Parody Musical at The Vaults in London. For Finton’s training, he attended Trinity Laban, where he performed in shows such as Footloose as Ren McCormack, and he graduated in 2022, and in the same year, he made his West End debut as an Angel in Kinky Boots: In Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. On screen, Finton played the regular role of Russ Gray in Coronation Street from 2010 to 2011, and whilst in the show, Coronation Street aired their live episode of the tram crash for their 50th anniversary. We spoke to Finton about playing Taylor ‘TNT’ Trent in Shooting Star: A New Musical, touring as cover/Alternate Jamie in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, originating the UK role of Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Sings: The Parody Musical and his time as Russ Gray in Coronation Street.
Most recently, you were seen playing Taylor ‘TNT’ Trent in Shooting Star: A New Musical, can you tell us about this?
I was invited to play Taylor at a concert in Southern Spain and it was such an amazing experience. I loved getting to really dig deep into the character and give my own flare to the role. For context, Shooting Star explores the Adult entertainment industry – something that is usually a taboo topic but through the INCREDIBLE work of Florian (Klein), Erik (Ransom) and Thomas (Zaufke), they’ve created a really relatable and endearing story. It highlights the importance of community and choosing your own family. It’s got some hilarious moments there that will have you laughing and crying at the same time. I can’t wait for the show’s future and to reprise the role hopefully soon!
What was it like performing in your first-ever pantomime over Christmas 2024 as Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk at Nottingham Playhouse and how different did you find it to your previous productions?
Another fantastic experience, wow! I feel like pantomime is our one true British tradition. And for a lot of us performers, it’s almost a rite of passage! I can’t believe I’ve been performing since I was five years old and not once experienced the crazy world of pantomime! Nottingham Playhouse as a first panto experience was amazing. A true community-led and backed theatre, putting their OWN production on with no backing from exterior companies. There’s not many theatres in the country doing that and I’m so proud to have been a part of it. I got to work with the fantastic director Adam Penford too. It was amazing to bring his vision to life.
How was it starring in the leading role of Jack and interacting with the family audience?
I loved Jack and the Beanstalk when I was younger, so the big kid in me was always excited to climb up an inflatable beanstalk eight shows a week! There’s a much more personal element with the audience when it comes to panto, which I’ve always preferred. They’re all in on the magic, the joke, the story and you can FEEL the audience’s energy much more compared to other theatre. The main thing that I’ll always cherish from that job was the connections I made with the cast and crew. I truly don’t think I’ve laughed as much on a job, we had such a laugh together. It’s a real tough show schedule too so we really got each other through it.
Do you remember how you felt finding out you’d be in the cast of the UK & Ireland Tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and was there anything that drew you to the musical?
I certainly do! I was at work at the time and I remember just running to the toilet to call my parents, that was one of the best moments of my life for sure. The story of Jamie had always related to my own story growing up. I always hoped and aimed to one day tell that story and I was SO lucky that I had the chance to do that and really put my own stamp on the role.
How did you prepare for taking on the role of Cover/Alternate Jamie, and what was the character like to play?
It was a groundbreaking moment for me as a performer, to be honest. There was lots of things about my performance that looking back at the start of the contract I didn’t think I would be able to do. I absorbed so much knowledge from top tier performers like Shobna Gulati, Johnny Partridge, Hayley Tamaddon by just standing in the same space as them and watching how they work. Seeing how they translate text to work, how they pull in an audience – getting to witness that is priceless. I’m so grateful for that job because it made me delve even deeper as a performer.
Telling Jamie’s story was such an honour, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put it into words how much that show means to me. It will always hold a very special moment in my heart. Thank you so much to Jonathan Butterell, Dan Gillespie Sells and Will Burton.
What did you enjoy most about touring for the first time, and how was it working with the rest of the cast?
Touring was amazing! Don’t get me wrong, living out of suitcases. NAH. Travel by train for a year. NAH. But getting to tell this beautiful celebration of queerness, family and love to regional audiences where theatre isn’t as accessible! HELL YEAH! That’s the beauty of touring for me. I LOVE especially Northern venues, it’s so, so, so rewarding getting to tell a Northern story to a Northern audience. It’s for them! It’s for us! They get it! I can’t wait to get back out on the road! The cast were fab, we had SUCH a laugh the whole year. Special shoutout to my best Judys: David McNair and Garry Lee. We shared dressing rooms for most of the year, and they had me HOWLING!
How did you find the experience originating the role of Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Sings: The Parody Musical as part of the original UK cast at The Vaults in London?
Stranger Sings was another fantastic job. Originating the role of Lucas was a great experience. The Vaults is an amazing off-West End venue and I loved telling the story of Stranger Sings in the space of The Vaults. It’s a real belly laugh parody and a real good time. I still sing the songs to this day, they’re super catchy! I got the chance to work with one of my closest friends Joe Riley, so getting to share that experience with him too was amazing. Getting to do ten fouetté turns in a morph suit dressed as a Demogorgon every night… what is there not to love?!
What was it like making your West End debut in 2022 as an Angel in Kinky Boots: In Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane?
That was another groundbreaking night for me in my career. My West End debut at Drury Lane! I still remember looking at the audience that night and just having that moment of “wow”. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that feeling.
Working with Cedric Neal on that job was, again, priceless. I remember sitting in the wings watching him perform Hold Me In Your Heart bawling my eyes out. He is just spellbinding. Truly.
You also graduated from Trinity Laban in 2022; how was your time as a student and can you tell us about some of the shows you performed in whilst there, which included Footloose as Ren McCormack?
I really enjoyed my time at Trinity Laban. I worked with some amazing choreographers and directors, such as Nick Evans and Xenia Gusthart. The faculty at Trinity really led with a sense of individualism, they are not trying to make carbon copies of performers. They focus on developing you as a performer and the three elements of musical theatre. I loved the fact that I was at a school that wasn’t over populated like a lot of MT colleges.
I played Ren McCormack in Footloose for my final year show, where I was actually lucky enough to book my first West End contract from.
For your first regular role on screen, you played Russ Gray in Coronation Street from 2010 to 2011, what are some of your stand-out memories from working on the soap?
Coronation Street was one of my first long-term contracts, and my first for TV. I was young at the time, but still had a real sense of what I was doing and what this was for. I actually did watch Coronation Street as a child too, so going into the show and working with people that I had seen on television my whole life really was surreal, but, weirdly, not overwhelming. The people I’d watched on TV became peers for two years. I learnt early on what professionalism was. I learnt what to do and what not to do. I had some really great storylines, got punched in the face as a child on national television, and was part of the live tram crash for the 50th anniversary, which to this day, is still one of the biggest live TV stunts in the UK.
What was Russ like to play and what do you feel you learnt from working on a hugely-popular soap opera as a young actor?
It was very odd to one day just being able to go into town as a child with my parents and everything to be normal, then after I was in the show people would start to recognise me, which was quite bizarre, but after a while it didn’t really phase me. I was really young at the time and obviously was always accompanied by my mum or dad. So I feel like they almost sheltered me from a lot of that. I remember starting high school and having to say to people that I had a twin brother because everybody would ask me questions all the time and I would be so anxious. So I lied and said that I had a twin brother called Zak (lol).
How did you originally get into acting and was it always something you wanted to do professionally?
It’s always something I’ve had a passion in. I’ve always been dancing, I’ve always been singing, and I’ve always loved acting. Having jobs like Coronation Street, South Pacific and Oliver! as a child and getting a taste of the industry, and what it’s like to be a performer, I always knew that this is what I was going to do as a career. And still to this day, I feel my most confident and unbreakable when I am performing on stage.
How do you like to spend your free time?
A big part of my free time is dedicated to the ballroom community. I am a member of the UK Voguing scene and the Artistic House of Telfar. If I’m not performing, auditioning or rehearsing… you’re most likely to find me at a Vogue practice with my Telfars or at the back of the ball, aiming to win a grand prize! Ballroom will always hold a very, very special place in my heart.
What are you hoping the rest of 2025 brings for you, and do you have any projects coming up that you can talk about?
It’s just been announced that I’ll be in the cast of Leeds Playhouse’s A Christmas Carol this year, which I am super excited for. A legendary show at a legendary venue, I can’t wait! Plus, I’ve got some really exciting projects lined up for the new year too, 2026 should be a really good year, fingers crossed!
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