Keegan Joyce and Lucy Maunder chat NO LOVE SONGS

5 December, 2024 Gabi Bergman

The heart-warming and rawly authentic new musical No Love Songs, featuring music by Kyle Falconer, lead singer of the Scottish band The View, will captivate Australian audiences in 2025. Starring Keegan Joyce (Rake, Please Like Me) and Lucy Maunder (Chicago, Mary Poppins), the production will premiere at Sydney’s Foundry Theatre, the new performance space within the Lyric Theatre Sydney, on 7 March 2025 before embarking on a national tour.

Exploring the poignant highs and lows of young parenthood, No Love Songs centres on Jessie (Joyce) and Lana (Maunder) as they navigate the struggles of balancing personal dreams with raising a family. Inspired by Falconer’s real-life experiences with his partner Laura Wilde, the show weaves heartfelt songs from his album No Love Songs for Laura into an emotionally rich and uplifting narrative.

The musical has already garnered global acclaim, with sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in London. It recently made its American debut to critical praise, setting the stage for a New York opening in 2025 immediately following its Australian premiere.

Maunder and Joyce are thrilled to be working together for the first time. Reflecting on their early rehearsals, Maunder said, “We’ve been in Sydney doing some singing, and we’re going to do some recording, just getting acquainted with the show and each other.” Joyce chimed in with a laugh, noting, “I messaged my best friend who’s a stage manager, and that’s how you find out about people. He was like, ‘Lucy Maunder, dreamboat.’”

For Maunder, fresh from her acclaimed performance as Roxie Hart in Chicago, the project feels deeply personal. “This probably is the most true to me in terms of the experiences that I went through… just dealing with the challenges of being a new parent and also relationships,” she explained. “I loved how strong [the character Lana] was, and I also just loved the writing. It’s really funny and incredibly emotional and heartfelt.”

Joyce, known for blending acting and musical talent, sees the production as an opportunity to explore the intersection of his passions. “The music has that kind of ‘noughties’ indie music scene feel to it—that Powderfinger, Silverchair, Oasis world. It’s amazing. It’s still a full show, but it’s grounded in that stuff we love.”

For Maunder, the production’s music and story are perfectly intertwined: “It’s a total privilege to be doing a work that’s so new in Australia. The music is weaved so beautifully through the story… it punctuates what the characters are going through.”

With a cast of only two, the show demands complete focus and connection from both performers. “When it’s a small cast, you’re really listening, and you’re there with each other,” Joyce observed. “You have to support each other. You’re trying to be there for this other person as much as you possibly can the whole time.” Maunder described the challenge and reward of such intimacy: “It’s terrifying because there’s nowhere to hide. But it’s also exciting because the audience gets to know us from start to finish. It’s a total rollercoaster.”

The pair agree that the show’s themes will resonate widely. “I think everyone is going to relate to this show, whether they’re parents or whether they’ve been in a relationship or whether they’re balancing their career with something else,” Joyce reflected. “There’s a catharsis to seeing other people go through what you go through.”

Maunder echoed this sentiment, highlighting the story’s rawness and humour:

It’s such an honest story. There’s no frills. It’s really intimate and very raw. And it’s refreshing.

Touring the production across Australia brings unique opportunities and challenges. “It’s so funny how different a show can feel in a different venue… Australian audiences are so different, and adapting to that is exciting,” Maunder said. Joyce added, “There’s a stamina to it that’s really challenging but also very exciting.”

When asked to sum up the show, Maunder called it “a new musical about modern romance,” while Joyce described it as “an honest, open story about two people who fall in love, have a family, and try to figure it out.”

With its compelling narrative, evocative music, and talented cast, No Love Songs promises to be a standout piece of contemporary Australian theatre. “It’s a privilege to bring something so special to the stage,” Maunder said. Audiences nationwide are sure to agree.