Jeevan Braich has quickly become one of the most exciting new talents in the West End, making waves with an award-winning debut in Starlight Express and now stepping into the spotlight for the highly anticipated UK premiere of We Aren’t Kids Anymore.
For Jeevan, the theatre bug bit early, thanks to a family outing. “My mum took me to see Wicked for the first time, and I feel like that’s quite a common story,” laughs Jeevan. “It’s always something to do with one of those big West End shows, but for me, it was my mum taking me to see Wicked that made me fall in love with theatre.” But it was a trip to the Savoy Theatre that sealed the deal for Jeevan. “Soon after that, I watched Dreamgirls and I was amazed by the glitz, the glamour, the talent of it all. I wanted to be part of that, and my parents were like, brilliant, let’s make it happen.”
Music was always in the Braich household. “My sister is four years older than me and she was always singing, and so as a young kid I started singing too, and then my parents put us both in music lessons. We learned a lot of instruments growing up and then eventually we both auditioned and got accepted into the Birmingham Conservatoire.” That classical training, Jeevan says, set the perfect foundation for a career in musical theatre: “Every time I’m doing a hard musical theatre song, I am very thankful that I’ve got the foundation of classical singing.”
A Whirlwind Debut and Recognition
Landing the role of Rusty in the revival of Starlight Express was, as Jeevan describes, “manic.” “I wasn’t very used to the audition processes, being in a room with so many important people, and I remember approaching it like, well maybe I can just get through one more round, one more round, until there were no more rounds left to get through! I couldn’t believe what was happening to me.”
That sense of disbelief and gratitude has stayed with Jeevan, especially after winning both the Stage Debut Award and the WhatsOnStage Award for Professional Debut. “Any sort of recognition is amazing, but for example, the WhatsOnStage Award was voted for by the public, the people that actually come and see the shows… and they picked me. These awards celebrate people who had the guts to take that first step into the industry, which is arguably one of the hardest steps to take.”
Joining We Aren’t Kids Anymore
Taking off the roller skates for just one day, Jeevan is stepping into We Aren’t Kids Anymore at the Savoy Theatre, a project that came about in the most thrilling way. “I got approached by the amazing Drew Gasparini, I couldn’t believe it, everyone who knows musical theatre knows who Drew Gasparini is!”
“We hopped on a Zoom call together and we just blabbed about everything to do with the musical, what it meant to us, the context, the feelings, the emotions, and how one way or another everyone can relate to what this musical is.”
Jeevan is especially excited about the musical’s universal appeal. “It is multi-generational, it is so clever in the way that you can be 16 or 60 and it doesn’t matter which character you’re listening to, one way or another you’re going, oh my goodness, that’s me… it’s about multi-generational obstacles, and I just think it’s a universal experience that this musical sums up in such a great new modern way.”
What sets We Aren’t Kids Anymore apart, Jeevan says, is its honest celebration of both the highs and lows of life. “It’s very easy to glamorise the highs and then kind of shove the lows under the rug, but in a way, it kind of celebrates that too, no matter what you go through, all of this is what makes us who we are, and it just celebrates that a bit more, but it celebrates it in every single generation… it shows us that there’s no right or wrong way of doing it, we’re all humans who make mistakes, and we learn from them.”
A Standout Role and a Song to Remember
Jeevan’s role in the show is a special one. “I’m going to come on in act two and sing some of the amazing songs which didn’t get showcased in the first act, but which are going to be part of the musical.”
Jeevan has been bowled over by Drew Gasparini’s music in the show, but there’s one song that stands out: “It’s called What the Hell Am I Doing With My Life, and I don’t even wish I would be the one singing it, because I think it’s perfect the way it is, but I just wish I could hear it over and over and over and over, because it is such a great song, it’s such a universal song, but it also just makes you laugh, it’s so relatable.”
Jeevan is a long-time fan of Drew Gasparini’s work, and believes the composer’s music stands out for its freshness and honesty. “It’s this expression of modern music, while also having a very timeless and old-fashioned feeling to it… there’s something so genuine and legitimate about what he’s writing.”
A One-Day Only Event at the Savoy
We Aren’t Kids Anymore is being presented as a one-day-only event, with performances in the afternoon and evening—a format that’s becoming increasingly popular in the West End. Jeevan thinks this approach is perfect for the show: “It gives the audience a taster of what to expect; this is strong enough of a show to have a full run right now, but sometimes it’s better for an audience to just get to know what to expect, it builds up anticipation, it builds up a love for it.”
Performing at the historic Savoy Theatre is a dream come true. “It was where I went to watch Dreamgirls and decided what my future would be, now I’m so excited to just stand on that stage, take it in, and say oh my goodness, I’m performing on this amazing stage.”
For anyone considering booking a ticket, Jeevan has a simple message: “Take the risk in watching something that is going to be different, that is going to touch you in a way that you wouldn’t expect. Come and watch a version of yourself in our show, because I think that’s what you’ll see, you’ll see a little part of yourself in some character, or some song, and you might just see yourself in a different light.”
We Aren’t Kids Anymore, featuring Jeevan Braich, is at the Savoy Theatre for two performances on Monday 28th April.
