COLM WILKINSON
Colm Wilkinson (born 5 June 1944), also known as C. T. Wilkinson, is an Irish tenor and actor, best known for originating the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (in the West End and Broadway) and for taking the title role in The Phantom of the Opera at the Sydmonton Festival and in the original Canadian production. Due to his association with these musicals, he reprised the role of Jean Valjean during the Les Misérables 10th Anniversary Concert (at The Royal Albert Hall), as well as appearing as a special guest at the 25th Anniversary Celebrations of Les Misérables (at the O2 arena) and The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall. His versions of both "The Music of the Night" from Phantom and "Bring Him Home" from Les Misérables are acclaimed throughout the world; fans "insist he perform them . . . at all his concerts." (More from Wikipedia)
The next Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Evita – my personal favorite among the Webber shows – started out as a rock opera album that was released in 1975. In a novel move, the narrator of the story of Eva "Evita" Perón, the wife of Argentine dictator Juan Perón, is famed South American and Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara (identified only as “Che” initially). Mandy Patinkin launched his career with his Tony-winning role as Che on Broadway; on the original Evita album and in earlier productions, Che is played by Colm Wilkinson, who later became world famous in originating the role of Jean Valjean in the 1985 West End (London) and Broadway musical Les Misèrables.
(September 2016)
