Was a chorister at Westminster Abbey, ran away to play THE WINSLOW BOY in its first West End revival, was a member of the National Youth Theatre, read English at Cambridge and studied at the Royal College of Music Opera School.
THEATRE credits include THE WINSLOW BOY (Albery Theatre),THE RELAPSE (Old Vic),THE WHITE GUARD and PETER PAN (RSC), SWEENEY TODD (Drury Lane), AN ITALIAN STRAW HAT (Shaftesbury Theatre), CATS (New London), THE MIKADO (Savoy Theatre), WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (County Hall, London), CIDER WITH ROSIE and MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940 (Greenwich); EUGENE ONEGIN and SEVEN SONNETS OF MICHELANGELO (Lyric, Hammersmith); HENRY V, GOODBYE MR CHIPS, VALMOUTH, FORTY YEARS ON and DIVORCE ME DARLING (Chichester); FLORODORA and QUAINT HONOUR (Finborough Theatre), A SONG TO SING O! and THE DIARY OF A NOBODY (Buxton Opera House), THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS (Brighton Festival), DE PROFUNDIS (Brighton Festival, Salisbury Festival), HAY FEVER, NIGHTMARE SONGS, A WINTER’S TALE, CANDIDE, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (UK tours), LADY IN THE DARK (Netherlands tour) and seasons at the Donmar, Lyric Hammersmith, Peacock Theatre and Arts Theatre.
TELEVISION credits include Two series of BY THE SWORD DIVIDED, STALKY AND CO, THE SILVER BUCKLE, AFTER THE WAR, TEN GLORIOUS YEARS, LET THEM EAT CAKE, THE LENNY HENRY SHOW, THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, GOODBYE MR CHIPS, SPITTING IMAGE, LONDON’S BURNING, WHAT MADE MOZART TIC, TWENTIETH CENTURY GREATS, A SALARIED WIT, CANDIDE, THE MAGIC FLUTE, THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, COSI FAN TUTTE, CINDERELLA, SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER, A GOOSEBERRY FOOL, LA BOHEME, A MOTLEY PAIR, LE GRAND MACABRE, TANGLED UP IN TWINKLES, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, SHAKESPEARE LIVE! ALAN CARR’S ADVENTURES WITH AGATHA CHISTIE. He features in eighteen complete Savoy opera productions on GSOPERA.TV
FILM credits include TOPSY-TURVY, NIGHT MUSIC, CHASING LIBERTY, FALSTAFF, WARLOCK, SOME LITTLE JOY, DRAW ON SWEET NIGHT. HE HAS WRITTEN AND TRANSLATED for stage, screen and opera house. Commissions include MAKING MASSINGER (commissioned by Wiltshire Creative), a new play for LET’S MAKE AN OPERA, (Britten Estate/Aldeburgh commission); his critically acclaimed television credits include writing and presenting the drama documentaries A SALARIED WIT, A GOOSEBERRY FOOL and the five part series about Gilbert and Sullivan, A MOTLEY PAIR (Sky Arts/Capriol Films); he has written two original opera libretti: VOLTAIRE’S AMPHIBIAN and SIGNOR KELLY’S SOUFFLÉ; he translated Mozart lyrics for WHAT MADE MOZART TICK? (Channel 4) and he has made versions of THE MAGIC FLUTE and Humperdinck’s HANSEL AND GRETEL (Wigmore Hall), THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (Covent Garden Festival), FIDELIO (Brighton Festival/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment), DIE ENTFUHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL (Boston Symphony Orchestra/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment), THE MERRY WIDOW and DIE FLEDERMAUS (John Wilson/Philharmonia Orhcestra) and CARMEN, HELLO DOLLY, BRIGADOON (John Wilson/RTÉ Concert Orchestra), ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD (Opera Danube). He has written narrations to YOUNG PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE
ORCHESTRA (CBSO, Philadelphia Orchestra and a live broadcast by BBCSO from Snape on Britten’s centenary) and PETER AND THE WOLF (CBSO) and he has translated Schoenberg’s BRETTL LIEDER. He adapted the screenplay, DRAW ON SWEET NIGHT, into seventeenth century English and adapted Grossmith’s THE DIARY OF A NOBODY for the stage. He co-wrote the BBC Radio 4 drama series I AM THE VERY MODEL. He has translated numerous operas.
DIRECTING credits include THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD (Philharmonia Orchestra/Royal Festival Hall, RLPO/Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool and CBSO/Symphony Hall, Birmingham; THE MERRY WIDOW (Philharmonia/RFH); DIE FLEDERMAUS (Philharmonia/RFH); HMS PINAFORE, THE MIKADO and THE VERY BEST OF GILBERT AND SULLIVAN at the Barbican, the Royal Festival Hall and on tour: THE MIKADO (two productions), IOLANTHE, PATIENCE and PRINCESS IDA (for all of which he had five star reviews) for the National Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company at Buxton Opera House and on tour; THE SOLDIER’S TALE, starring Edward Fox, THE MERRY WIDOW, ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD and DIE FLEDERMAUS for Opera Danube; Mahler’s LIEDER EINES FAHRENDEN GESELLEN and Schoenberg’s BRETTL LIEDER (Britten Theatre),Gounod’s LA COLOMBE (West Green House Opera) and the TURANDOT sequence in the Warner Bros. movie CHASING LIBERTY. He co-directed the BBC Radio 4 drama series I AM THE VERY MODEL and co-directed with Gareth Machin his own play MAKING MASSINGER for Wiltshire Creative.
OPERA He has sung roles at La Scala, Milan, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Paris Chatelet, Barcelona Liceu, English National Opera, Aix-en-Provence, Oper Kὅln, Royal Opera, Muscat, Opera Zuid (Netherlands), Welsh National Opera, Bregenzer Festspiele, Wiener Festwochen, Almeida Opera, Aldeburgh Opera, Grange Park Opera, Garsington Opera, Opera Holland Park, London Contemporary Opera, MTL. He has been a Guest Principal at English National Opera since 2008, where his repertoire includes roles by Puccini, Ligeti, Bernstein, Lehar, Strauss and Britten. He has sung the Gilbert and Sullivan patter roles at the Savoy Theatre and throughout the world, with D'Oyly Carte, Carl Rosa, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Raymond Gubbay, Opera della Luna, Grange Park Opera, The National Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, BBC Proms, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, CBSO, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra and others. At Aldeburgh Festivals he has performed PIERROT LUNAIRE, ENOCH ARDEN, FAÇADE, title role ARLECCHINO, Haushofmeister ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Sparrow THE CRICKET RECOVERS and his own narrations for THE YOUNG PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA and PETER AND THE WOLF (with CBSO).
RADIO credits include pieces by Tom Stoppard, Katherine Mansfield, Christopher Logue, the Radio 4 drama series I AM THE VERY MODEL (which he also co-wrote and co-directed), and the Radio 4 sitcom, TAKING IT UP THE OCTAVE, as well as live broadcasts of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (from La Scala, Milan, Snape Maltings and Aix en Provence), PATIENCE (BBC Proms), CANDIDE (from Paris Chatelet), PORGY AND BESS (from RFH), FRIDAY NIGHT IS MUSIC NIGHT (BBC) and his narrations for DIE ENTFUHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL (Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood) and THE YOUNG PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA (BBC Symphony Orchestra at Snape, for the Britten Centenary Celebrations). He has also presented Saturday Classics on BBC Radio 3.
AUDIO RECORDINGS include Bunthorne PATIENCE (D’Oyly Carte/TER); Lord Chancellor IOLANTHE (CCO); Chichester Cast Recordings of VALMOUTH, DIVORCE ME, DARLING! and GOODBYE MR CHIPS (TER) ; on the Retrospect Opera label, the title role in Solomon and Burnand’s PICKWICK, General Deelah in Grossmith’s CUPS AND SAUCERS, Blueskin in Rodwell’s JACK SHEPPARD, Charles Dibdin’s MUSICAL TOUR OF MR DIBDIN, CHRISTMAS GAMBOLS, THE WAGS and THE JUBILEE. He has recorded audio books of Firbank’s VALMOUTH and Lord Berners’ THE GIRLS OF RADCLYFFE HALL (QClassics). He recorded Oscar Wilde’s DE PROFUNDIS (Brighton Festival/Salisbury Festival); His play, MAKING MASSINGER, was recorded and streamed during lockdown by Wiltshire Creative, who commissioned it.
SPOTLIGHT CV