He is the fresh-faced stage star currently celebrating the 20 year anniversary of his professional debut.
That first foray into theatre saw Bury-born Layton Williams step foot-first into the lights, when he took the title role in Billy Elliot.
The subsequent two decades have seen him rack up sensational stage turns in shows including Cabaret, Hairspray, Titanique and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
“…there are eight shows that I have been in, pretty much running at the same time; from Rent to Jamie, to Bill Elliott, to Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret…Hairspray is coming back, Car Man is on the road…”
It’s a monster list, but then Layton is a monster talent, and one who bagged an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Angel in Rent.
When we speak with him, Layton has revisited the work, as an audience member.
“It was so emotional. I did it 10 years ago, when it was the 20th anniversary. It just means so much to me because it as the first role that I had played as a leading man, slash Queen, because I played Angel.
“Looking back, I remember being so nervous about my singing and my voice. It was such a turning point for me in my career,” he recalls, “It was like, ‘I can play these roles, I can get up, I can sing'. I was singing when I was a kid, but prior to that I was in the ensemble of Hairspray, and prior to that I was with Matthew Bourne, so I wasn’t singing at all.
“Rent really gave me the kick up the arse to be like, ‘You can do this.’ After that I went on to play Seaweed in Hairspray and got the chance to really switch.
“I feel like without Angel I wouldn’t have gone on to do Jamie,” he says with hindsight, “Every role opens up another part of you for a different character, and I do feel very lucky. If you look at some of the roles I play, I am like ‘oh sh*t’ - they are so epic.
“That’s why the Layton Live is gonna hopefully be a fun night out…” he says of the show that has brought about this chat.
Layton is an enthusiastic chatterbox today, and every day, apparently.
“I talk all day anyway so this is no different to my normal life, and when you are talking about something that you actually care about, and you are not making money for somebody else, it’s actually quite nice!
“It’s just the reality of it - finally I am doing something that is on my terms.”
Layton Live is a sizeable tour, putting him front and centre with ‘unforgettable behind-the-scenes stories, powerhouse vocals, spectacular choreography and many of the iconic songs and moments that have defined his career.’
It’s a dream of a night out for those who have a penchant for musical theatre, and want it delivered with perfect pizazz.
Presumably, he has full creative control?
“Pretty much. They’ve given me the reins, and I have worked with an amazing friend and creative director, Shay Barclay, who has been with me since Hairspray days, so over a decade now.
"We understand each other very well. There are people coming in to help piece it all together, but it is the first time that I am basically the boss. Which is really bloody nice after all of those years.
“I love stepping into a musical and doing the thing, but to be able to go ‘I want this’ and ‘ I want that’ is new. But it is all on your shoulders, which I wasn’t fully aware of until we were going through budgeting meetings.
“Numbers are not my forte, I went to theatre school, but I’m like ‘I want this and this, and these extra dancers…’ and it’s like ‘Layton you can have that, but you do realise you will not earn any money.’
“This is not a money grab. I want this to be so sleek and together and I hope what people expect of me.
“This needs to have a quality and a level I hold myself at.”
Giving your all to your craft is something you’d imagine everyone goes all out for, but it’s not so.
"If I am going to be completely honest, I know some people and I am like ‘How are you still doing this?
“Some people just have the gift of the gab, they are pretty, and they do the right thing and they are on, and they might not necessarily have the star quality you would hope.
“I really generally care, almost too much sometimes…
“Unfortunately, you do have people that just sail on through.
I’ve had people I’ve been partnered with and when we are dancing together, I would always know when they had a guest or a friend in.
“I pulled them on it one time; ‘Babes, can I ask you a genuine question, ‘Do you ever know when I’ve got people in - if my mum is coming to watch, or my best friend, if I’ve got people in the audience that I know and loved you know?
"Is there any difference in my performance quality? She was like, ‘No, not really.’
“I was like, ‘I know when you’ve got people in. Do that show every night. Because you deserve it for yourself.
“A director once said to me, and it always sticks with me; ‘Go out there and perform like it’s someone's first and it’s someone’s last'.
“For all you know it’s gonna be someone’s first time they are ever watching a musical, and how beautiful to open up that world to them, and unfortunately, it is probably going to be someone’s last - especially on a Wednesday matinee!” he smiles, but he’s being serious.
“I’m never gonna just half arse something."
Layton hasn’t just restricted his talent to the stage - that would be selfish.
Instead, he has carved out a fine career on the small screen too; from Bad Education to The Cleaner and Netflix delivery, Geek Girl.
He says the secret is by keeping his fingers in different pies, but that’s just modesty.
When we speak with him he has just returned from a fitting for a new movie. He's in demand.
His star turn on the 2023 series of Strictly put him before an enormous audience, and he ended as a runner up. But that show came with lots of criticism that had nothing to do with his dancing ability, which was beautiful. It came with a big dollop of unwarranted, and unnecessary homophobia.
“Of course you are going to have the hate.," he says, “I had one big cry during my Strictly journey and I thought that the country hated me.
“But that was because I was looking at a very specific demographic of people that were just hate criming.”
Layton is a passionate advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. How are we doing as a country?
“Unfortunately at this moment in time it doesn’t feel like we are moving forward as much as I would have hoped," he admits.
“I was the voice of I Kissed A Boy, that’s been pulled. I just got onto RuPaul’s drag race as a guest judge for the first time, and clearly for the final time as that has just been pulled.
“It just feels a little bit sad when queer voices are being eradicated from tv, especially in a time when LGBTQIA+ hate crimes are on the rise.
“Its a really scary time for queer people in this country, especially those in smaller cities like Milton Keynes, and Bury, where I am from.”
Leyton will be using Layton Live to ‘fly that flag,’ he promises.
Post-Strictly, he decided to escape the UK for a much-needed break.
“I needed to get out, I’d been in this Strictly bubble,” he remembers, and opted for a trip to Lanzarote.
“I didn’t know that Lanzarote was basically Manchester-on-Sea!” he laughed at the memory.
“But the love I received during that week healed any thoughts of what I thought the UK felt about me.
“Even to the point where the husbands and blokes were like, ‘You were robbed!’ If I had a pound for every time someone told me I was robbed, I’d be a millionaire!
“People still say it now, and they think they are saying something nice, - telling me that I was robbed in Strictly at a stage door where I’ve just guest starred in Jesus Christ Superstar.
“I’m not robbed, I’m winning. Don’t you worry about me, my love, this is exactly the trajectory I wanted,” he says.
A lovely reminder of his creative worth is his jam packed cabinet housing his many awards. Any favourites among them?
“I have got to say the Oliver, What’s On Stage is amazing, it feels like such a nod and the theatre ones are incredible, but the Olivier’s are like the Oscars. To have one of them with your name on it is pretty extraordinary, especially for the role I was playing to get it, which seems wild.
“The one that is more surprising is the pottery one, because that just came out of nowhere and the fact that I won that was ridiculous!”
For the moment though, his is firmly fixed on Layton Live.
“I hope that people come skipping out of the theatre with a fuller heart and are inspired to do whatever the f*ck they want to do and not care about what people think.
“That has been me for years, and as soon as I started being myself and didn’t care about what other people thought, I made my difference my superpower.
“...and I want you leaving wanting more!”
> Layton live comes to The Stables at Wavendon on Friday, April 2, 2027.
To book your seat visit stables.org
