Anthony Warlow (born 18 November 1961) is an Australian

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

performer, noted for his character acting and considerable

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...

. He is a classically trained

lyric baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ra ...

and made his debut with the Australian Opera in 1980. Warlow has performed on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, the West End,

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

and across Australia with all of the symphony orchestras. His studio recordings have spanned three decades and include solo albums, cast recordings and live performances in concert and with

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder ...

. He has been honoured as an Australian National Treasure and his achievements have been acknowledged with his investiture as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to the performing arts.

Performances

Musical theatre

Warlow's notable

roles include lead roles in ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...

'' (as The Phantom), '' The Secret Garden'' (as Archibald Craven), '' Annie'' (as

Daddy Warbucks Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks is a fictional character from the comic strip ''Little Orphan Annie''. He made his first appearance in the New York ''Daily News'' in the ''Annie'' strip on September 27, 1924. In the series he is said to be around 52 year ...

), ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on " The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also b ...

'' (as Sky Masterson), ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

'' (as Henry Higgins), ''

Jekyll and Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'' (original Gothic thriller cast recording and, for the 25th anniversary, as Dr Henry Jekyll / Edward Hyde), ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cerva ...

'' (as

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

), ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'' (as Frederik Egerman), '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' (as Sweeney Todd), as well as a significant supporting role in ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' (as

Enjolras Enjolras () is a fictional character who acts as the charismatic leader of the Friends of the ABC in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. In both the novel and the musical that it inspired, Enjolras is a revolutionary who fights fo ...

). Circa 1988, he was internationally regarded as the best Enjolras and was honoured by being selected for the complete symphonic recording, along with leading ''Les Misérables'' performers from around the world along with fellow Australian actor

Philip Quast Philip Mark Quast (born 30 July 1957) is an Australian actor and singer. He has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical three times, making him the first actor to have three wins in that category. He is perhaps best known f ...

Javert Javert (), no first name given in the source novel, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables.'' He was presumably born in 1780 and died on June 7, 1832. First a prison guard, and then a polic ...

. This was arguably his break-through role, as he was cast as the Phantom as the Australian tour of ''Les Misérables'' was ending. He performed the role of Doctor Yuri Zhivago in the new musical adaptation of Boris Pasternak's novel ''

Doctor Zhivago ''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations. Description The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago and deals with love and loss during ...

''. In 2012, Warlow reprised his role as Daddy Warbucks in ''Annie'' at the Lyric Theatre, Star City, for a strictly limited season of 12 weeks. Warlow made his debut on

, New York, in the

James Lapine James Elliot Lapine (born January 10, 1949) is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for ''Into the Woods'', '' Falsettos'', and '' Passion''. He ...

-directed role of Daddy Warbucks in ''Annie'' at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia * Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, M ...

. In July 2015, he was playing Charles Frohman/James Hook in '' Finding Neverland'' on Broadway. In December 2015, he returned to Australia playing the part of Tevye in ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

''. Warlow performed in ''Jekyll & Hyde'' in October 2019 with the

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008. The MSO relies on f ...

at the

Arts Centre Melbourne Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central ...

and November in Sydney at the

ICC Sydney Theatre The International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) is an exhibition and convention centre which opened in December 2016, in Sydney, Australia. ICC Sydney is Australia's second largest fully integrated convention, exhibition and entertai ...

with the Sydney International Orchestra.

Opera

Warlow's

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

roles with

include major roles in ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original li ...

'' (Gabriel Eisenstein), ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that in ...

'' (Papageno), ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

'' (Puck) and ''

The Tales of Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died i ...

''.

Gilbert and Sullivan

Warlow's

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

roles for Opera Australia include the featured comedic role of Ko-Ko in ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, where it ran at the ...

'' (2004–2009), Archibald Grosvenor in ''

Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when face ...

'' (1996), Pirate King in ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'' (2006–2007–2010) and in the 2005 double-bill of ''

Trial by Jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significan ...

'' (as the Learned Judge) and ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which ...

'' (as Captain Corcoran). Apart from ''The Mikado'', these Gilbert and Sullivan productions are available on DVD. In 1987, Warlow also performed a one-man show originally written for John Reed, called '' A Song to Sing, O'', about

George Grossmith George Grossmith (9 December 1847 – 1 March 1912) was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer. His performing career spanned more than four decades. As a writer and composer, he created 18 comic operas, nearly 100 musical ...

, the comedian who originated the principal comic roles for Gilbert and Sullivan from 1877 through the 1880s.

Other performances

Warlow performed "

Advance Australia Fair "Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, sung in Australia as a patriotic song. It first replaced " God Save the Queen" as th ...

" at the 1993 NSWRL Grand Final on 26 September 1993 and at the

2008 NRL Grand Final The 2008 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2008 NRL season. It was played between the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Melbourne Storm on Sunday, 5 October at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The 2008 Grand Final ...

on 5 October 2008.

''The Pirates of Penzance'' tour: 2006–2007

Between 2 August 2006 and 2 June 2007, Warlow appeared in the

production of ''

'' (a popular

comic opera), in which he played the role of the "Pirate King" – with performances during 2006 in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

(at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

), in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding township#Aust ...

and in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

(at the Lyric Theatre,

Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank, Queensland, South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it ...

), as well as enjoying full houses in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in 2007. Warlow's Pirate King appeared in dress, voice and mannerism very similar to Captain Jack Sparrow from ''

Pirates of the Caribbean ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with the ...

''. In a press interview in

, Warlow said that he had deliberately based his Pirate King on Johnny Depp's character from ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' so that people who may not know the opera but are aware of the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' trilogy of movies could enjoy the opera more. This production of ''The Pirates of Penzance'' was shown on television by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

on 9 December 2006. A DVD of the production was subsequently released.

''Phantom of the Opera'': 2007–2009

Warlow first portrayed the Phantom in

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musical ...

's ''

'' in the original Australian production, circa 1990. It was announced in October 2006 that ''Phantom'' would re-open in Melbourne the following year and that Warlow had agreed to reprise his role as "The Phantom". ''Phantom'' reopened in Melbourne at the Princess Theatre, its original home, on 19 July 2007. Although he performed for the industry opening night, Warlow was struck down by a bout of influenza that had also claimed many of the other cast and crew, and as a result, he missed the first two and a half weeks of the show's Melbourne season. Understudy Simon Pryce performed in his place until he made his return on 9 August 2007. Unlike the original Australian ''Phantom'', Warlow played the Phantom for the two-year tour of Australia and New Zealand. ''The Phantom of the Opera'' opened at Melbourne's Princess Theatre on 28 July 2007, then at Brisbane's Lyric Theatre in February 2008 followed by Sydney's Lyric Theatre in May 2008. After closing in Sydney on 14 September, the production moved to Auckland, New Zealand and following a holiday break, subsequently opened in Perth in February 2009. The last stop on the tour was Adelaide where Warlow donned the mask for the final time on 23 May 2009. Warlow appeared as a guest at the 25th anniversary production of '' The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall'' in London.

Personal life

He was found to be suffering from

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of hematological malignancy, blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include lymphadenopathy, enlarged lymph nodes, fever ...

in 1992, during the early publicity for the arena production of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' where he was to appear as Pilate. He had to put his career on hold for about a year while he dealt with the disease. He returned to the performance circuit in the second half of 1993 with a national concert tour for the launch of his ''Back in the Swing'' album. He has since done promotional work for the Leukaemia Foundation of Australia. His fourth solo album, ''Midnight Dreaming'', reached the top ten of the Australian Aria Charts. Warlow also briefly appeared on the ARIA Singles Chart in 1998 with the double A-side single "Beauty School Dropout/My Prayer". Warlow was back on television, in a concert performance, on the night of 24 December 2006 (the concert was shown by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

Notable theatre roles

Recordings

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Charted singles

Cast albums

* ''

'' – Complete Symphonic Recording (1988) * ''

Jekyll & Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'' – The Complete Works Recording (1994) * '' The Secret Garden'' – Australian Cast Recording (1995) * ''

'' – The Australian Opera (1995) * '' Annie'' – Australian Cast Recording (2012) * '' Annie'' – New Broadway Cast Recording (2013)

DVDs

* ''

'' – Opera Australia production (1996) * ''

'' – Opera Australia production (1997) * '' The Main Event'' – with

John Farnham John Peter Farnham AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer.McFarlane (1999). Enc ...

and

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one s ...

(1998) * ''

'' / ''

'' – Opera Australia production (2005) * ''

'' – Opera Australia production (2006) * '' The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall'' (2012)

Awards and nominations

Helen Hayes Award The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They ar ...

, Washington: Winner (2015): Outstanding Actor in a Musical ("Don Quixote" in ''

'') *

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

, New York: Nominee (2013): Outstanding Actor in a Musical "Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks" in '' Annie'' *

Green Room Awards The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne. The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...

, Melbourne, Australia ** Winner (1990): Male Actor in a Featured Role – Music Theatre ("Enjolras" in ''

'') ** Winner (1991): Male Actor in a Leading Role – Music Theatre ("Phantom" in ''

'') ** Nominee (2001): Male Actor in a Leading Role – Music Theatre ("Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks" in '' Annie'') *

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical th ...

, Australia ** Nominee (2001): Best Male Actor in a Musical ("Daddy Warbucks" in '' Annie'') ** Nominee (2003): Best Male Actor in a Musical ("Don Quixote" in ''

'') ** Nominee (2008): Best Male Actor in a Musical ("Phantom" in ''

'') ** Nominee (2011): Best Male Actor in a Musical ("Yuri Zhivago" in ''

'') ** Nominee (2012): Best Male Actor in a Musical ("Daddy Warbucks" in '' Annie'') ** Nominee (2016): Best Male Actor in a Musical ("Tevye" in ''

)''

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Anthony Warlow won eleven awards in that time. (wins only) , - , rowspan="2", 1990 , Anthony Warlow , Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , Anthony Warlow , Male Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , rowspan="2", 1991 , Anthony Warlow , Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , Anthony Warlow , Male Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , 1993 , Anthony Warlow , Australian Performer of the Year , , - , 1995 , Anthony Warlow , Male Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , rowspan="2", 1998 , Anthony Warlow , Arena Performer of the Year , , - , ''The Main Event'' (Anthony Warlow, John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John) , Australian Performer of the Year , , - , 2004 , Anthony Warlow , Australian Performer of the Year , , - , 2007 , Anthony Warlow , Classical / Opera Performer of the Year , , - , 2008 , Anthony Warlow , Classical / Opera Performer of the Year , , -

References

External links

* *
"Warlow manages success alone"
''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'', 19 April 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Warlow, Anthony 1961 births Living people ARIA Award winners Australian male musical theatre actors Australian operatic baritones People from Wollongong Members of the Order of Australia Singers from Sydney 20th-century Australian male opera singers 21st-century Australian male opera singers