Jon Robyns
Jon Robyns | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 December 1982 Manchester, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Singer, Musician |
| Years active | 2004 – present |
| Known for | Les Misérables |
| Website | http://www.jonrobyns.co.uk |
Jon Robyns (born 8 December 1982) is a British
Early life
Robyns was born in Manchester and grew up in Liverpool, England. Moving to Bristol at the age of 10 he became involved with several local theatre and youth music groups. Performing in such varied shows as Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Handel's Messiah to Kander and Ebb's classic musical Cabaret. He worked on new material with Playbox Theatre Company performing NEWS and performed two new operas with MusicBox Youth Opera; Fox at the manger and Brundibar.
In 1999 Robyns moved to
During this time Robyns was part of the
Robyns is a supporter of
Training
In 2001 Robyns attended the 3-year Musical Theatre course at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.[2] During his final year Robyns played Sweeney Todd in Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece musical. Other roles at drama school include Teddy in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, Banquo in Macbeth and Jesus in Godspell.
Career
Graduating in 2004 Robyns joined the UK touring company of
Robyns played the role of Marius Pontmercy in Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre until leaving the show on 23 June 2009.[5] He has rejoined the cast of Les Misérables during the 25th Anniversary International Tour as Enjolras and is on the live recording Album. Robyns appeared at the O2 Arena on 3 October alongside current/previous cast members from across the world in a 25th Anniversary concert.[5]
In 2008 Robyns recorded a song for the CD Act One – Songs From The Musicals Of Alexander S. Bermange, an album of 20 brand new recordings by 26 West End stars, released in November 2008 on Dress Circle Records, and recorded the role of robot ThreeSix in a concept album of Laurence Mark Wythe's musical The Lost Christmas. He has previously recorded material for Whyte and in 2005 appeared in a showcase of one of the composer's musicals at Greenwich Theatre.
In 2011 Robyns joined the cast of Spamalot as part of the UK Tour, performing the role of Sir Galahad. The show toured the UK throughout 2012, before a return to the West End at the Harold Pinter Theatre.
In 2013 Robyns played Oliver in The Confession Room at the St. James Theatre in London.[6]
In 2014 Robyns joined the original London cast of Memphis, playing the role of first cover Huey.
In 2015, starred as Caractacus Potts in the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the West Yorkshire Playhouse (now named the Leeds Playhouse). The role was latterly taken by larger-profile performers on the subsequent UK Tour, including Jason Manford and Lee Mead.
In 2016 Robyns played Emmett Forrest in the Leicester Curve production of Legally Blonde, and performed in both the UK tour of Sister Act as Eddie and The Wedding Singer as Robbie Hart.
In 2018 Robyns joined the West End cast of
In December 2019, Robyns took over the role of Jean Valjean in the new production of Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre (formerly The Queens). The production was closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Robyns, along with Dean Chisnall (whom, until 14 January 2023, performed as Jean Valjean on the UK/Ireland tour), reprised the role of Jean Valjean in the staged concert version of the show, opening in May 2021.
In 2021, Robyns was cast as Valjean when the Sondheim reopened. On 7 February 2023 it was announced that the matinee and evening shows of 25 February 2023 would be his last as Valjean, before he left Les Mis.
On 18 January 2023, it was announced that Robyns was cast as The Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, taking over the role from Earl Carpenter on 3 April.
Stage credits
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Sweeney Todd | Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts | London |
| 2004 | Miss Saigon | Ensemble / 1st Cover Chris | — | UK National Tour |
| 2005 | Rent | Mark Cohen | English Theatre, Frankfurt | Frankfurt, Germany
|
| 2006-2007 | Avenue Q | Princeton & Rod | Noël Coward Theatre | West End |
| 2008 | Chess | Ensemble | Royal Albert Hall | London |
| 2008-2009 | Les Misérables | Marius Pontmercy | Queen's Theatre | West End |
| 2010 | Enjolras | — | 25th Anniversary UK Tour | |
| Factory Worker | O2 Arena | London | ||
| 2011-2012 | Spamalot | Sir Galahad / Prince Herbert's Father / Black Knight |
— | UK National Tour |
| 2012-2013 | Harold Pinter Theatre | West End | ||
| 2013 | Dessa Rose | Adam Nehemiah | Trafalgar Studios
| |
| 2014 | Memphis | Ensemble / 1st Cover Huey | Shaftesbury Theatre | |
| 2015 | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Caractacus Potts |
— | UK National Tour |
| 2016 | Legally Blonde | Emmett Forrest | Curve, Leicester | Leicester |
| Sister Act | Eddie | — | UK National Tour | |
| 2017 | The Wedding Singer | Robbie Hart | — | |
| 2018-2019 | Hamilton | King George III |
Victoria Palace Theatre | West End |
| 2019-2020 | Les Misérables | Jean Valjean | Sondheim Theatre | |
| 2020 | u/s Jean Valjean | |||
| 2021-2023 | Jean Valjean | |||
| 2023-2024 | The Phantom of the Opera |
The Phantom of the Opera | His Majesty's Theatre |
References
- ^ "Avenue Q news". Avenue Q. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
- ^ "Mountview Alumni". Mountview Website. Retrieved 13 July 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Miss Saigon cast". Miss Saigon tour Website. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
- ^ "Chess concert". Chess in Concert Website. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Jon Robyns Blog". Jon Robyns Personal Blog Website. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ Peterson, Tyler (12 June 2014). "Jon Robyns, Rebecca Trehearn & More Set for THE CONFESSION ROOM Concert at St. James Studio". Broadway World. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ BWW News Desk. "Ally Ava Brown and Jon Robyns to Join the Cast of West End HAMILTON". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ "New Hamilton West End cast announced". Retrieved 5 November 2018.