Rob Houchen (born 10 February 1991) is a British stage actor and producer. He is best known for playing Marius in ''

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. '' ...

'' in both its 30th Anniversary international production as well as at the Queen's Theatre and Fabrizio in ''The Light in the Piazza'' at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

Early life and education

Houchen is from

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...

, Suffolk. He attended Pakefield Primary and Middle schools,

Kirkley High School East Point Academy is an Academy (English school), academy sponsored by the Inspiration Trust, located in the Kirkley district of Lowestoft, in the English county of Suffolk. It educates children from ages 11 to 16. In its latest Ofsted inspect ...

and

East Norfolk Sixth Form College East Norfolk Sixth Form College (commonly abbreviated to EN) is a sixth form college in the Gorleston-on-Sea area of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. The college ranges from about 1,600 students most of whom are between the ages of 16–18. Th ...

. He trained at the

Guildford School of Acting Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is a drama school in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an academic school in the University of Surrey. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools. Overview The school is part of the University of Surrey ...

in London, graduating with a BA hons in musical theatre.

Career

Stage

Houchen started his career onstage in 2013 in the musical ''

'' as Marius Pontmercy. In 2019 Houchen was part of the London premiere of the musical The Light in the Piazza in the role of Fabrizio. The show starred

Dove Cameron Dove Olivia Cameron (born Chloe Celeste Hosterman; January 15, 1996) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame for her dual role of the eponymous characters in Disney Channel's comedy series '' Liv and Maddie'' (2013–2017) and her ...

as Clara and

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nom ...

as Margaret. The show transferred to the LA Opera in October of the same year with the same principal cast, including Houchen. He then reprised the role of Marius in the staged concert version of ''Les Misérables'' at the

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 994 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...

in August 2019. In 2020 Houchen joined the cast of the Donmar Warehouse production of ''City of Angels'', after its transfer to the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

. The show, starring

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later Vanes ...

, opened in early March 2020 and closed shortly after due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2022 Houchen was part of the cast of ''

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

's Old Friends: A Celebration''. The gala concert was a celebration of the famous composer, who passed the year before, and was staged by

Matthew Bourne Sir Matthew Christopher Bourne (born 13 January 1960) is a British choreographer. His productions contain many classic cinema and popular culture references and draw thematic inspiration from musicals, film noir and popular culture. Popular ...

and

Maria Friedman Maria Friedman ( Freedman; born 19 March 1960) is a British actress and director, best known for her work in musical theatre. She is an eight-time Laurence Olivier Award nominee, winning three. Her first win was for her 1994 one-woman show, ' ...

. The show was recorded live on 3 May 2022 and included stage stars like

Michael Ball Michael Ashley Ball (born 27 June 1962) is an English singer, presenter and actor. In 1985, he made his West End debut as Marius Pontmercy in the original production of ''Les Misérables''. In 1989, he reached number two in the UK Singles C ...

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...

Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released reco ...

and

Jenna Russell Jenna Russell (born 5 October 1967) is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a maj ...

. Houchen played Lieutenant Joseph Cable in the 2022 Chichester Festival Theatre production of ''South Pacific'', at the

Manchester Opera House The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England, is a 1,920-seater commercial touring Theatre (structure), theatre that plays host to touring Musical theatre, musicals, ballet, concerts and a Christmas pantomime. It is a Grade II listed buil ...

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...

and UK tour. The cast also included

Julian Ovenden Julian Mark Ovenden (born 29 November 1976) is an English actor and singer. He has starred on Broadway and West End stages, in television series in both the United Kingdom and United States, in films, and performed internationally as a concert ...

as Emile de Becque,

Gina Beck Gina Beck (born on 30th December 1981 in Buckinghamshire) is a British stage actress and singer, mainly known for playing major roles in various West End musicals. She played the characters of Miss Honey in the Royal Shakespeare Company's produc ...

as Ensign Nellie Forbush and Joanna Ampil as Bloody Mary. Houchen joined the cast of the musical ''

Titanique ''Titanique'' (sometimes stylized as ''Titaníque'') is a jukebox musical featuring music of Celine Dion, with a book by Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, and Constantine Rousouli. The musical is a parody of the 1997 film ''Titanic (1997 film), Titanic' ...

'' in December 2024 for its West End premiere as Jack. The show played at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

with a cast including

Lauren Drew Lauren Drew (born 17 February 1993) is a Welsh actress and singer. Known for her work in musical theatre, she won a WhatsOnStage Award and received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination. Early life Drew was born in Port Talbot. She pursued a BTEC ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

, Darren Bennett as Victor Garber/Luigi, Jordan Luke Gage as Cal,

Stephen Guarino Stephen Guarino (born November 14, 1975) is an American actor and comedian, known as Sully Patterson on the Jim Carrey-produced Showtime series '' I'm Dying Up Here'' (2017–2018) and for his recurring role as Derrick in the ABC comedy series ...

as Ruth and Kat Ronney as Rose. In 2025, Houchen joined the studio recording cast of '' Jo, the Little Women Musical'' as Laurie. The album is due to be released in 2025 and a semi-staged version of the show is also due to be announced.

Producer

Houchen is also known as a theatre producer and is the founder of Chorus Productions. In October 2024 he supported a charity concert of the musical ''I Am

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised i ...

'' at

Cadogan Hall Cadogan Hall is a 950-seat capacity concert hall in Sloane Terrace in Chelsea, London, Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England. The resident music ensemble at Cadogan Hall is the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ( ...

'','' based on the life of the queer politician, with profits going to Stonewall.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houchen, Rob Living people 1991 births Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting English male musical theatre actors Male actors from Suffolk People from Lowestoft English musical theatre actors