Peter Karrie
Encyclopedia
Peter Karrie is a Welsh
singer, best known for his portrayal of the lead role in the Andrew Lloyd Webber
musical, The Phantom of the Opera
. He played the part in London
, Toronto
, Vancouver
, Singapore
, Hong Kong
and on the UK Tour in Bradford
, and Manchester
. He was twice voted the favourite Phantom of members of The Phantom of the Opera Appreciation Society, in 1994 and 1995.
He also created roles in three Bernard J. Taylor
musicals (see below) and received excellent reviews. The title role of Nosferatu was specially written for Karrie.
Karrie was brought up in Wales
, where he is particularly well known, having had his own show on BBC Wales
, both television and radio. He began his career as the lead singer of a pop group, "Peter and the Wolves", and went on to star in many West End
musical productions, including Les Misérables
(on three different runs) and Chess
. He is a fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and is married with six children.
Karrie has also played Daddy Warbucks in Annie
, Fagin in Oliver!
and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof
for Aberystwyth Arts Centre
.
In 2006, he starred with Shan Côthi
in the Mal Pope
musical, Amazing Grace, at the Wales Millennium Centre
for the Wales Theatre Company.
Peter is an ambassador for Bobath Children's Therapy Centre Wales a registered charity, based in Cardiff which provides specialist Bobath therapy to children from all over Wales who have cerebral palsy. On 6 January 2010 it has been announced the Peter will record a single for the charity featuring around 1000 children from schools in the South Wales area. The single is due to be released in April 2010.
Peter has recently performed with OpusOne Productions alongside John Owen Jones and Nic Greenshields in 'The Three Phantoms' concert. Sarah Lark, Elin Wyn Murphy and Geraint Owen co-starred in this one-off event for George Thomas Hospice Care.
On 22 November 2009 Peter Karrie's back catalogue of music was released digitally for the first time by FlyRy Records. The recordings will be available via iTunes, Amazon MP3 and Napster.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
singer, best known for his portrayal of the lead role in the Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
musical, The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
. He played the part in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and on the UK Tour in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. He was twice voted the favourite Phantom of members of The Phantom of the Opera Appreciation Society, in 1994 and 1995.
He also created roles in three Bernard J. Taylor
Bernard J. Taylor
Bernard J. Taylor is the writer and composer of ten stage musicals and two stage plays. His musicals have been produced around the world and translated into German, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian, Spanish and Italian. He is also the writer of 14 novels and three non-fiction books.Taylor was born and...
musicals (see below) and received excellent reviews. The title role of Nosferatu was specially written for Karrie.
Karrie was brought up in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, where he is particularly well known, having had his own show on BBC Wales
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
, both television and radio. He began his career as the lead singer of a pop group, "Peter and the Wolves", and went on to star in many West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
musical productions, including Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
(on three different runs) and Chess
Chess (musical)
Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
. He is a fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and is married with six children.
Karrie has also played Daddy Warbucks in Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
, Fagin in Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof
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 Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
for Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Aberystwyth Arts Centre is one of Wales' busiest and largest arts centres, based on Aberystwyth University's Penglais campus Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales...
.
In 2006, he starred with Shan Côthi
Shân Cothi
Shân Cothi is a Welsh classical singer, presenter and actress. She was born and raised the daughter of a blacksmith in the tiny village of Ffarmers inCarmarthenshire. She graduated in Music and Drama from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth...
in the Mal Pope
Mal Pope
Mal Pope , is a Welsh musician and composer, who is especially notable for his contribution to music theatre portraying Welsh national identities and themes...
musical, Amazing Grace, at the Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert...
for the Wales Theatre Company.
Peter is an ambassador for Bobath Children's Therapy Centre Wales a registered charity, based in Cardiff which provides specialist Bobath therapy to children from all over Wales who have cerebral palsy. On 6 January 2010 it has been announced the Peter will record a single for the charity featuring around 1000 children from schools in the South Wales area. The single is due to be released in April 2010.
Peter has recently performed with OpusOne Productions alongside John Owen Jones and Nic Greenshields in 'The Three Phantoms' concert. Sarah Lark, Elin Wyn Murphy and Geraint Owen co-starred in this one-off event for George Thomas Hospice Care.
On 22 November 2009 Peter Karrie's back catalogue of music was released digitally for the first time by FlyRy Records. The recordings will be available via iTunes, Amazon MP3 and Napster.