London-based Malaysian theatre actor on leading West End anime-based musical

For Malaysian actor Zheng Xi Yong, taking on the lead role in London’s recently concluded West End musical Your Lie In April pushed him to face new challenges in more ways than one.

“Personally, this was the first time I’ve ever been cast as the lead in a show, having been in an ensemble, smaller, as well as supporting roles. Playing the lead came with a lot of pressure for several reasons: the role usually demanded a lot of stamina and a high level of skill,” says Yong, 29, during a recent interview.

“Also, I believe that when you’re the lead of a show, you owe a certain level of duty of care and responsibility to your fellow company members, and need to hold yourself to a standard of behaviour for others to follow,” he adds.

This show in particular also put his existing acting skills to the test.

“It was the only show, so far, that has required me to use all four of my skills: singing, acting, dance and piano, so it has been a lot of fun,” adds the actor who was born in Miri, Sarawak, but grew up in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Your Lie In April, a romantic drama, is based on the beloved Japanese manga by Naoshi Arakawa, which spun off a popular anime of the same name.

The story follows Kosei Arima, a young piano prodigy dubbed the “Human Metronome” for his mechanical accuracy who has won many prestigious competitions, but he loses his ability to hear music following the death of his mother.

‘I’d love to do more work back home when the right job and the right time comes. There’s a lot of talent back home that I’d love to work with and also to perform to my people,’ says Yong. Photo: Ruth Crafter

When free-spirited violinist Kaori Miyazono comes into his life, she inspires him to return to playing the music he loves.

The West End show starred Yong as Kosei and Mia Kobayashi, in her professional debut, as Kaori, the musical featured works by legendary composer Frank Wildhorn, known for hits such as Broadway’s Jekyll & Hyde.

The musical, directed by Nick Winston, was initially staged as a concert at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane with only three shows in April, but thanks to the overwhelmingly positive response, the concert was made into a full production, which ran at the Harold Pinter Theatre (from July 28 to Aug 11).

Asian representation

Not only was Your Lie In April the first full production staged in the West End that is based on a manga (the 2023 Death Note: The Musical was only held as a concert), it was also its first musical with a 100% Asian and South-East Asian cast – a nod to its Asian roots.

“It’s deeply meaningful to be part of this historic moment in theatre,” says Yong, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from King’s College London. Despite a legal career ahead, he chose to follow his passion, earning a Master’s degree in musical theatre from London’s Royal Academy of Music to pursue his stage dreams.

Over a decade ago, he took the leap into professional acting, starting private lessons with vocal coach Kevin Fountain, who urged him to train seriously if he was committed to a career in musical theatre.

Your Lie In April is another major step in Yong’s career in Britain, which began in late 2017 when he was booked for the musical Miss Saigon. The show toured six British cities before heading to Germany and Switzerland in 2018/19, giving Yong an early taste of life in the theatre scene abroad.

Yong as Kosei Arima and Mia Kobayashi as Kaori Miyazono in the West End musical ‘Your Lie In April’, which recently concluded its run in London. Photo: Craig Sugden

Your Lie In April, arguably, cemented Yong’s appeal in the British theatre scene, underscoring his rising confidence. In London, he is represented by Independent Talent Group, which is a leading agency in Britain and Europe, representing some of the biggest talent as well as award winners in the world.

“It has been wonderful and everyone in the (Your Lie In April) company was so talented, passionate, and lovely to work with,” he says.

According to Yong, who has been based in the British capital since 2013, the musical attracted a diverse audience, including anime and manga fans, classical music fans, and theatre fans.

“It’s a beautiful story about how music can connect us and this shared connection helps us to heal from grief and trauma,” he says.

Yong first watched the anime, then read the manga in preparation for auditioning for the role.

“Wildhorn’s songs brilliantly fused contemporary pop with classical music, and besides being catchy, they accurately expressed the feelings of the characters. It was a joy to sing them in every show.”

From the show’s repertoire, Yong’s favourite lyrics were from the song Home Free: “If I had lifted up my eyes / I would have seen the sun will rise / and when it falls, a new day has to come.”

A scene from the West End musical ‘Your Lie In April’, a first musical with a 100% Asian and South-East Asian cast – a nod to its Asian roots. Photo: Craig Sugden

“The song comes when the main character Kosei begins to shift his perspective on life and his relationship with his mother,” he explains.

Does Yong see any similarities between himself and Kosei?

“Well, we both play the piano, although I’d say I never was a child prodigy. We’re also both quirky and dorky,” says Yong.

“In the story, he goes through a lot of personal obstacles and manages to overcome them with the help of the people around him, which is something I can relate to.”

Looking forward

The pandemic lockdowns were a challenging time for the creative industry, even in Britain, with theatres slowly began to show signs of recovery last year.

However, Yong was able to manage by pairing his professional talents with his teaching skills.

“Theatres had to shut and screen productions had to halt. I was lucky to still be able to teach singing on Zoom at the time,” says Yong, who has over six years of teaching experience.

In addition to his acting career, he teaches singing and drama in London and works as a business operations analyst for a tech start-up.

As a Malaysian in the British arts scene, he faces the same tough reality as other performers – many need second or third jobs. Career gaps are common while actors audition or wait for their next role.

Yong rehearsing with co-star Alia Nabil for the ‘Don’t Let Usman Awang Know’ show at KLPac in 2019. Photo: Filepic

Few careers match the performing arts in its relentless cycle of applying, auditioning, and facing rejection. Despite receiving hundreds of rejections, Yong has persevered through the challenges.

He also notes that he’s seen some improvement in the push for diversity and inclusion in the British theatre scene.

“However, there is still much work to do, as we are still consistently overlooked when it comes to leading roles, especially when the character isn’t specifically written for our heritage. So we continue to fight and make sure every audition we do is top-notch.”

Yong’s other stage credits include The Tempest (2023), Spring Awakening (2021) and Assassins (2019), but he’s in no way limited to theatre.

He’s also appeared in feature films such as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023) and is a series regular in BBC Three’s Boarders, with more to come – there’s a small part in Universal Pictures’ Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy and a role in international TV series Sandokan, both expected to be released in 2025.

Though he does try to return to Malaysia at least once a year to see his family, the last time he was able to do some performing arts work in Malaysia was in 2019, when he wrote and directed the short piece Pisang Goreng for Don’t Let Usman Awang Know, a showcase presented by The Actors Studio, Seni Teater Rakyat and Muka Space at KLPac.

“I’d love to do more work back home when the right job and the right time comes. There’s a lot of talent back home that I’d love to work with and also to perform to my people,” says Yong.

“My goal now is to continue to work and take on more and more challenging roles, be it stage and screen, and to remember to enjoy the journey, despite it being such a tough one,” he concludes.