Drew Sarich (born August 24, 1975) is an American stage actor and singer songwriter from

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, who performs in the English and German languages.

Biography

Sarich received a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

in Musical Theatre with a concentration in Directing from

Boston Conservatory Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded o ...

in 1997. He made his

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

debut in ''

Tony n' Tina's Wedding ''Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding'' is an " environmental/ immersive theatre" event based on a traditional Italian-American wedding and reception, with warm and intrusive stereotypes exaggerated for comic effect. Audience members are treated as guests ...

'', followed by a tour as a backup singer for

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

with the Cortes Alexander Trio. In 1998, he played

Judas Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of ...

in a production of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

'' in Nyack, New York, opposite Billy Porter. In 1999, Sarich moved to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

to star as

Quasimodo Quasimodo (from Quasimodo Sunday) is the titular protagonist of the French novel '' The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (1831) by Victor Hugo. Born with numerous deformities, most notably a hunched back, Quasimodo serves as the bell-ringer for Notre ...

in the world premiere ''

Der Glöckner von Notre Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' is a musical with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. It is adapted from Walt Disney Animation Studios' 1996 film, which in turn was based on the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo. The musical premiere ...

''. In 2000, he released his first album, ''Say It'', with his self-titled "Drew Sarich Band". He moved to Vienna and played Berger in the

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

revival of ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

'', Cousin Kevin in ''

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tommy (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army * Tommy Giacomelli (born 1974), Brazilian fo ...

'' ( Amstetten, Austria), and the title role in ''

Hedwig and the Angry Inch Hedwig and the Angry Inch may refer to: * ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (musical), 1998 ** ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (soundtrack), 1999 * ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' (film), 2001 {{disambig ...

'' (Berlin). He has also appeared in ''Lapdog and Wildcat'' in 2003, which he co-wrote with his wife, Ann Mandrella. Sarich appeared in other musicals while in Europe. He played the title character(s) in ''

Jekyll and Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic horror 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 ...

'' in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, followed by Sun/Master of the Keys in '' Barbarella'' (opened March 11, 2004) in Vienna. In St. Gallen he played the title role in ''

Dracula, the Musical ''Dracula, the Musical'' is a musical based on the original 1897 Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. The show had its regional premiere at the La Jolla ...

'' (sharing the role with

Thomas Borchert Thomas Borchert (born 20 July 1966 in Essen, Germany) is a Germans, German actor, singer, and songwriter. He has performed in musical theatre. Biography In 1988, Borchert, with his rock band "Cakewalk", won a prize in a music festival sponsore ...

). Sarich made his

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 Stre ...

debut in Spring 2006, when he took on the role of Armand in the musical '' Lestat''. He had previously covered the roles of Armand and Lestat in the show's run in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

while playing the role of Laurent, prior to taking over the role of Armand with the departure of

Jack Noseworthy Jack Evan Noseworthy Jr. is an American actor known for his roles in ''Event Horizon'', '' U-571'', ''Barb Wire'', and '' Killing Kennedy''. Early life Noseworthy graduated from Lynn English High School in 1982. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Art ...

. Sarich played the title role for the two performances on May 27, 2006 (the day before ''Lestats closing) when

Hugh Panaro Hugh Panaro (born February 19, 1964) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his work in Broadway stage musicals, most well known for his role in ''The Phantom of the Opera'' being in over 2,000 performances in the Broadway producti ...

was out sick late in the production's run in New York. ''Lestat'' closed on May 28, 2006 In Summer 2006, Sarich took over for Rodney Hicks in the Off-Broadway show ''

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris ''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, who also provided the story. The original 1968 Off-Broadway product ...

'', starring alongside

Robert Cuccioli Robert Cuccioli (born May 3, 1958) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical '' Jekyll & Hyde'', for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, ...

Natascia Diaz and Gay Marshall. Sarich played the role of Grantaire (as well as the Innkeeper and a worker) in the Broadway revival of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' from October 2006 through the beginning of July 2007, understudying the roles of

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 f ...

and

Javert Javert (), no first name given in the source novel, is a fictional character and a 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 police i ...

. Later in July, following

Alexander Gemignani Alexander Cesare Gemignani (born July 3, 1979) is an American actor, tenor, musician, and conductor, known for his work on Broadway. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in '' Carousel'' and a Drama Desk Award for his performa ...

's departure from the show, Sarich was chosen to take over the production's lead role of

Jean Valjean Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his ...

until October 2007, when he traded locales with West End veteran

John Owen-Jones John Owen-Jones (born 5 May 1971) is a Welsh musical theatre actor and singer, best known for his portrayals of Jean Valjean in Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg's ''Les Misérables'' and The Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''The Ph ...

. Sarich began as the West End Valjean on October 22, 2007, and Owen-Jones had his Broadway premiere as Valjean on October 23. Sarich's run in the London production ended on November 8, 2008. Sarich has frequently performed as Jesus as well as Judas in ''

'' in numerous theaters in Austria and Germany. 2009 – 2010 Sarich premiered in the title role of ''Rudolf – Affaire Mayerling'' at the Raimund Theater in Vienna''.'' Sarich took over as Graf von Krolock in the Vienna production of ''

Tanz der Vampire ''Dance of the Vampires'' is a musical adaptation of the 1967 Roman Polanski film (known as '' The Fearless Vampire Killers'' in the United States). Polanski also directed the musical’s original German-language production (titled ). The music wa ...

''. He made his debut on 6 November 2010 and played the role until 2012 and then again in 2017 and 2018 in Vienna. In 2011, he took on the role of Curtis Shank in the musical rendition of ''

Sister Act ''Sister Act'' is a 1992 American musical crime comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Paul Rudnick (billed as Joseph Howard). It stars Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer forced to hide in a convent after being placed in a witn ...

in Vienna.'' From 2012 to 2015 Sarich performed the title role in the world premiere of '' Rocky das Musical'' in Hamburg. In October 2013, he starred in a Vienna concert version of

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 theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...

's '' Love Never Dies'', translated entirely in German, as The Phantom. In, 2015 he performed with

Alfie Boe Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (born 29 September 1973) is an English actor and singer who performs primarily in musical theatre. Boe is best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in the musical ''Les Misérables'' at the Queen's Theatre ...

in ''Classic Quadrophenia – The Who'' at the Konzerthaus in Vienna. In 2016, Sarich played the role of Ché in Evita in Vienna's

Ronacher The Ronacher theater, originally Etablissement Ronacher, is a theater in the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, Austria. Along with the Raimund Theater and the Theater an der Wien, it is run by the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (VBW). History It ...

theater. He played Jamie in ''

The Last Five Years ''The Last Five Years'' is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States an ...

'' in Vienna in between 2018 and 2019. From 2017 until 2022 he played Antonio Vivaldi in ''Vivaldi – The Fifth Season / Vivaldi – Die fünfte Jahreszeit'' at the Volksoper Vienna. The composer Christian Kolonovits created this Ba-Rock Musical having Drew Sarich in mind for the role. Between 2018 and 2023, Sarich played various roles at the Volksoper Vienna: Robert Baker in ''

Wonderful Town ''Wonderful Town'' is a 1953 musical theatre, musical with book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical tells the story of two sisters who aspire to be ...

'', Daddy Brubeck in ''

Sweet Charity ''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and book by Neil Simon, based on the screenplay for the 1957 Italian film '' Nights of Cabiria''. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse sta ...

'', The Wolf/ Cinderella's Prince in ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' and Albin/Zaza in '' La Cage aux Folles''. In 2023, Sarich starred as Hedwig in ''

'' at the Vindobona in Vienna, as Jesus in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' at the Raimund Theater in Vienna, and as Albin/Zaza in '' La Cage aux Folles'' in Vienna. 2024 he received the German Musical Award as best main actor for his role as Juanita in Kasimir und Karoline at the Staatsoper Hannover.

Stage roles

Discography

Cast Recordings

* Disneys “Der Glöckner von Notre Dame” original cast album 1999 * “Hair” Vienna cast recording 2001 * „Barbarella“ Vienna cast (limited edition) 2004 * “Jesus Christ Superstar” Vienna cast 2006 * “Rudolf – Affaire Mayerling” – cast album 2010 * “Jesus Christ Superstar” – live recording 2011 * „Tut Ankh Amon The Musical“ original Cairo cast 2011 HitSquad Records * „Sister Act“ – original Vienna cast 2011 * “ROCKY – Das Musical” 2012 * „Die Moulin Rouge Story“ – Studio-Cast-CD 2015 * „Luther – Rebell Gottes“ 2016 * „Luna“ concept album 2017 * “Vivaldi – Die Fünfte Jahreszeit” original cast recording 2017 * „Tanz der Vampire – Die 3 Grafen“ 2018 The '' Lestat'' original Broadway cast recording was recorded by Mercury Records on May 22, 2006, at Sony Studios in New York City, but never released.

Musical-DVD's

* „Rudolf – Affaire Mayerling“ 2010 * „Vivaldi – Die Fünfte Jahreszeit“ 2017

Studio albums and EP's

* "Say It” Bassball Productions 2000 * „I.V.“ Drew Sarich and International Victim Soulmade Productions 2005 * “Silent Symphony” Endwerk Records 2011 * “Snowfall Single” Endwerk Records 2012 * “Let Him Go” Endwerk Records 2016 * “Secrets” Endwerk Records 2018 * “Hunting For Heaven” Endwerk Records 2019 * “Behave” EP Endwerk Records 2020 * “Cancel Christmas” Endwerk Records 2020 * „Wishes & Wonders“ Endwerk Records 2021 * „HILLS“ EP Statesman Sound 2022 * „Look Alive“ EP Statesman Sound 2022 * "Never with You" Music Video 2023 * "Nothing to lose...But it all" single (Everyone's Darling) Statesman Sound 2024 * "Supervillain" single (Everyone's Darling) Statesman Sound 2024 * "Blisters" single (Everyone's Darling) Statesman Sound 2024

Miscellaneous featuring Drew Sarich

* Varese Sarabande Records “Broadway sings Paul Simon” - "Bernadette" 1998 * Fred Eisler Camena to the Fallen (Guest Vocalist) 2005 * I Was Born To Love You ''(Rudolf -'' Affaire Mayerling promotional single featuring Lisa Antoni) (Vocalist) 2008 * More with every line - The music of Tim Prottey-Jones (Guest Vocalist) -"Rescue Remedy" 2010 * Move me (with Sonja Romei) 2011 * Come On Over (with Gabriela Ryffel - Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell cover, recorded at SAE Vienna) 2012 * Home, Christmas (with Gabriela Ryffel - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros cover, recorded at SAE Vienna) 2012 * Nothin' Can Stop Me (Guest Vocalist on Bettina Meske's album "Made in Berlin") 2013 * Braucht uns ned wundern / No need to wonder (Guest Vocalist on Harald Baumgartner's album "Melancholerisch") 2014 * “FALCO: Coming HomeTribute” Live from the Donauinselfest 2017 *„Joyful!“ Drew Sarich and Vienna's biggest christmas choir 2019 *"Melody of Broadway, the texts of Wolfgang Adenberg“ 2020 *„At the Movies“ Sound of Music Concerts 2021 *„Nautilus – Ludwig Coss“ HitSquad Records PreCast 2022 *"Would you call this love" Andie Gabauer (music) featuring Drew Sarich (lyrics) 2024

Awards

* 2017: Austrian musical theater Krone award – for his role as Che in ''Evita'' * 2017: German musical theater award for best main actor
Deutscher Musical Theater Preis
for his role as Antonio Vivaldi in ''Vivaldi – The Fifth Season'' * 2018 BroadwayWorld Austria Award for his role as count Krolock in ''Dance of the Vampires'' * 2019 BroadwayWorld Austria Award for his role as Jesus in ''

'' * 2020 BroadwayWorld Austria Award Vocalist of the decade * 2024 German musical theater award best main actor for his role as Juanita in Kasimir und Karoline at Staatsoper Hannover

References

External links

Drew Sarich: Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarich, Drew American male musical theatre actors Male actors from St. Louis Boston Conservatory at Berklee alumni Singer-songwriters from Missouri 1975 births Living people