Enda Markey (born 3 June 1976) is an Irish-born, Sydney-based,

theatrical producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hire ...

and former singer and actor. He is the producer of the stage productions '' Side by Side by Sondheim'' and the international tour of Boublil and Schonberg's ''Do You Hear The People Sing?'', and the Australian revival of

Willy Russell William Russell (born 23 August 1946) is an English dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best known works are '' Educating Rita'', '' Shirley Valentine'', '' Blood Brothers'' and '' Our Day Out''. Early life Russell was born in Whiston, Lanc ...

's '' Blood Brothers''.

Performer

Markey was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. At sixteen, he was awarded a scholarship to train at London's Laine Theatre Arts' Musical Theatre Course. Following his training, he played Rick in the London production of '' A Slice of Saturday Night''. He appeared in the Irish premiere of ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fo ...

'' with

Lorna Luft Lorna Luft (born November 21, 1952) is an American actress, author, and singer. She is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sidney Luft and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli. Early life Luft was born on November 21, 1952, at Saint John's Health Cent ...

, Dave Willetts and

Millicent Martin Millicent Mary Lillian Martin (born 8 June 1934) is an English actress, singer, and comedian. She was the lone female singer of topical songs on the weekly BBC Television satire show ''That Was the Week That Was'' known as TW3 (1962–1963), a ...

. ''Follies'' was followed by an appearance in '' Side By Side By Sondheim'', giving Markey his first starring role. ''Side By Side'' was immediately followed by his return to '' A Slice of Saturday Night'' in Dublin, recreating the role of Rick. Theatrical appearances in Australia include ''The Mangina Monologues'' 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 me ...

and Sydney and the world premiere of ''Flying Solo'' with Paula Duncan, Noeline Brown, Jacinta John and Barry Quin, directed by

Judy Nunn Judith Anne Nunn ( AM) (born 1945 in Perth, Western Australia), (also published under the pen name of Judy Bernard-Waite), is an Australian fiction author, former theatre and television actress and radio and television screenwriter. Nunn was aw ...

. As a concert and cabaret performer, Enda appeared in leading venues around the world and made numerous appearances on television.

Producer

''Side By Side By Sondheim''

In April 2011, Markey produced and starred in a new Australian production of '' Side By Side By Sondheim'', appearing alongside Margi de Ferranti, Amelia Cormack and Jessica Rowe This production toured until November 2012, eventually replacing Cormack with Rachael Beck and then Lucy Maunder; De Ferranti with

Geraldine Turner Geraldine Gail Turner (born 23 June 1950 in Brisbane, Australia) is an Australian actress and singer. She has been a leading performer in Australian musical theatre since the 1970s, and has also been active in plays, recordings, film and tele ...

; and Michael Falzon taking over the male role from Markey (who remained as producer). On 20 April 2012, Markey produced a Gala Concert version of ''Side By Side by Sondheim'' featuring Ruthie Henshall at the Theatre Royal. The gala was held to support White Ribbon Australia, a charity which seeks to raise awareness of

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against woman, women or Girl, girls, usually by Man, men or Boy, boys. Such ...

. The gala was part of an ongoing tour, which had started in April 2011 at Sydney's

Seymour Centre The Seymour Centre is a multi-purpose performing arts centre within the University of Sydney in the Australian city of Sydney. It is located on the corner of City Rd and Cleveland St in Chippendale, just south-west of the city centre. The ...

. The cast, described as "some of the brightest stars in musical theatre" included * Ruthie Henshall * Rachael Beck *

Mitchell Butel Mitchell Patrick Butel (born 10 February 1970) is an Australian actor, singer, director and writer. He is best known for his work in theatre, including musical and opera productions. He has been the artistic director of the State Theatre Compa ...

* Alinta Chidzey *

Peter Cousens Peter Cousens (born 2 November 1955) is an Australian actor and singer born in Tamworth, New South Wales. He is the Artistic Director of the Talent Development Project. He attended The Armidale School in Armidale from 1969 to 1973 and then G ...

* Paula Duncan * Margi de Ferranti *

Lucy Durack Lucy Durack (born 17 November 1982) is an Australian actress, singer and television personality who played Glinda in the Australian production of ''Wicked'', and Elle Woods in the Australian production of '' Legally Blonde: The Musical''. She st ...

* Michael Falzon *

Virginia Gay Virginia Gay (born 16 September 1981) is an Australian actress, writer and director, mostly known for her work on the Australian TV dramas ''Winners & Losers'' (as Frances James), and '' All Saints'' (as Gabrielle Jaeger). Education Born in ...

* Erin James * Melissa Langton * Ben Lewis * Stephen Mahy * Enda Markey * Elise McCann * Meow Meow *

Amanda Muggleton Amanda Lillian Muggleton (born 12 October 1951)"Muggleton, Amanda, 1951 ...

* Lara Mulcahy *

* Anna O'Byrne *

Andrew O'Keefe Andrew Patrick O'Keefe AM (born 1 October 1971) is an Australian former television presenter and lawyer. He is best known for being the host of the game shows ''Deal or No Deal'' and '' The Chase Australia''. He was also the co-host of '' Wee ...

* Anita Plateris * Shaun Rennie * Jessica Rowe * Garry Scale * Lyn Shakespeare *

* Bruce Venables * Belinda Wollaston

''Do You Hear The People Sing?''

Enda Markey Presents ''Do You Hear The People Sing? '' premiered at

Shanghai Grand Theatre The Shanghai Grand Theater () is a complex located at the intersection of Central Boulevard and Huangpi Road South in the northern part of the People's Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai. The building houses the Shanghai Opera House a ...

27 November until 1 December 2013. Markey, together with Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg presented a fundraising performance of the show at Resorts World Manila starring

Lea Salonga Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supply ...

, David Harris and Marie Zamora with Filipino performers making guest appearances. ''Do You Hear The People Sing?'' continued its tour at Taipei International Convention Centre starring Michael Ball, David Harris, Amanda Harrison, Ana Marina and Jennifer Paz. In 2022, an Australian production will tour to

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 archit ...

and

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 ...

. The cast for the tour are *

Michael Ball Michael Ashley Ball (born 27 June 1962) is an English singer, presenter and actor. He made his West End debut in 1985 playing Marius Pontmercy in the original London production of ''Les Misérables'', and went on to star in 1987 as Raoul in ...

* John Owen-Jones *

Rachel Tucker Rachel Kelly Tucker (born 29 May 1981) is a Northern Irish West End and Broadway actress, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the hit musical '' Wicked''. She most recently starred in Come from Away on Broadway, having originated the role ...

* Bobby Fox * David Harris * Sooha Kim *

Suzie Mathers Suzie Mathers is a Scottish-Australian actress and theatre performer best known for her role as Glinda the Good Witch in the Australian, Asian tour, and London productions of ''Wicked'' as well Sophie in the 10th Anniversary Australian tour of ...

* Marie Zamora Previous versions of the show have included: *

or Jennifer Paz * Amanda Harrison * David Harris * Marie Zamora or Ana Marina ''Do You Hear The People Sing?'' features the work of

Alain Boublil Alain Boublil (born 5 March 1941) is a French musical theatre lyricist and librettist, best known for his collaborations with the composer Claude-Michel Schönberg for musicals on Broadway and London's West End. These include '' La Révolutio ...

and

Claude-Michel Schönberg Claude-Michel Schönberg (born 6 July 1944, in Vannes) is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with lyricist Alain Boublil. Major works include ''La Révolution Fran� ...

including music from

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 original ...

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera '' Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed ...

Martin Guerre Martin Guerre, a French peasant of the 16th century, was at the centre of a famous case of imposture. Several years after Martin Guerre had left his wife, child and village, a man claiming to be him appeared. He lived with Guerre's wife and s ...

The Pirate Queen ''The Pirate Queen'' is a musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, French lyrics by Alain Boublil and English lyric adaptations by Richard Maltby Jr. and John Dempsey. The French book was written by Boublil and Schönberg and the English ...

and La Revolution Francaise. It is conducted by Guy Simpson and directed by Andrew Pole.

''Blood Brothers''

In February 2015, Enda Markey presented Blood Brothers at the

Hayes Theatre The Hayes Theatre is a 111-seat theatre specialising in music theatre and cabaret in Potts Point, Sydney, Australia. It is named after the Australian performer Nancye Hayes. Hayes Theatre Co was established at the former Darlinghurst Theatre aft ...

in Sydney, starring Helen Dallimore, Bobby Fox, Blake Bowden and Michael Cormick. Helen Dallimore was nominated for a

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 t ...

and won a Glug Award for her performance. The production played a limited season in Melbourne.

''Defying Gravity: the songs of Stephen Schwartz''

In February 2016, Enda Markey presented Broadway Stars

Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Di ...

Aaron Tveit Aaron Kyle Tveit (; born October 21, 1983) is an American actor. Tveit originated the lead role of Christian the composer in the stage adaptation of '' Moulin Rouge!'' on Broadway, a performance for which he won the 2020 Tony Award for Best A ...

and

Betty Buckley Betty Lynn Buckley (born July 3, 1947) is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award, and was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the American ...

together with

Joanna Ampil Joanna Ampil is a musical theatre and film actress from the Philippines and United Kingdom. Career Joanna is a stage actress. She played Kim in '' Miss Saigon'' (London, original Australian production, original United Kingdom and Ireland Tou ...

, Helen Dallimore and David Harris in a concert celebrating the work of Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz at Theatre Royal.

''Bobby Fox: The Irish Boy''

In June 2019, Enda Markey presented the world premiere of '' Bobby Fox: The Irish Boy'' at Sydney Opera House before a short tour which included the

Adelaide Cabaret Festival The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is an annual arts festival featuring cabaret held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It has been held in June each year since 2001, with the exception of 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, ...

Ruthie Henshall - Live & Intimate

In June 2019, Ruthie Henshall commenced her first tour of Australia in "Live & Intimate" which included performances at

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 precinct. Opened in 1985, it includes the Lyric Thea ...

and the

. The concerts were met with unanimous praise from critics.

Anna O'Byrne - Becoming Eliza

In June 2022,

Anna O'Byrne Anna O'Byrne (born 20 September 1987) is an Australian actress and soprano singer best known for her portrayal of Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''The Phantom of the Opera'' and the original Australian production of Lloyd Webber's seq ...

- Becoming Eliza received its world premiere at

. In Becoming Eliza, Anna O’Byrne reflects on her experience creating the role of

Eliza Doolittle Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play '' Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''. Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower woman, who comes to Prof ...

in the Australian production of

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flowe ...

, which was directed by Julie Andrews in 2016. O'Byrne shared stories about working intimately with Andrews, as well as the lessons she learned from both Dame Julie and Eliza. The performance was critically praised and will tour into 2023.

References

External links

Enda Markey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Markey, Enda 1976 births Living people Irish male television actors Irish male stage actors Irish male musical theatre actors Theatre people from Dublin (city)