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Martin Ball | |
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 Martin Ball in 2006 aged 42 | |
| Born | 10 October 1964 |
| Occupation | Musical theatre / TV actor |
Martin Ball (born 10 October 1964) is an English theatre and television actor. He was born and grew up in Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent. He trained at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, and graduated in 1992.
His various theatre includes originating the role of Horace in Top Hat (First National Tour and at the Aldwych) alongside Tom Chambers and Summer Strallen, Andre and Firmin in The Phantom of the Opera , Thénardier in Les Misérables (Queen's), George Banks in Mary Poppins [1] (Cameron Mackintosh tour, 2008 TMA Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Musical), [2] Harry Bright in Mamma Mia! , Richard in Terry Johnson's Dead Funny at the Nottingham Playhouse; Colin in Alan Ayckbourn's Absent Friends , directed by Ayckbourn at his Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough; Lord Fancourt Babberley in Charley's Aunt at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield; Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton; originating the role of Dr. Dillamond in the West End production of Wicked (a role he returned to as part of the show's 10th anniversary in 2016) and later playing the Wizard, and Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest on a national tour.
Martin's television work includes playing Mr Steel, the Headmaster, in two series of Bernard's Watch; the twins' father in two series of Home Farm Twins; Andrew in two series of Keeping Mum ; Dan McGill in two series of Chalk ; Reverend Tim in Down To Earth; Dr Dave Masters in Casualty and Reverend Mordaunt in Little Lord Fauntleroy .
Other recent roles include Tim Frazier, QC in Family Affairs , Clive in Everything I Know About Men, Tim in Wild West , Dr. Harry in Strange, Paul, the games master in My Dad's The Prime Minister, Frank in Back Home, Robert in Preserves (three-hander with Phyllida Law and Elizabeth McGovern), Stephen Millar in The Bill , Henry in Human Remains, Dennis Cooke in Badger, Simon Mugham in The Missing Postman, Harper in Wycliffe , Jeff Hawkes in The Bill, Simon Lester in Anna Lee, Herr Koch in Genghis Cohen, a small part as Roger Davey in the 2008 Doctor Who series premiere "Partners in Crime" and Mark, a solicitor, in Summerhill a CBBC drama. Radio work includes Marlow in She Stoops to Conquer , Jeffrey (plus various other characters) in The Cricket Plays, and Brian Dixon in Clare In The Community, all for the BBC.
On 18 September 2018, Martin was announced to be playing Thénardier on the 2018/19 UK & Ireland tour of Les Misérables, beginning at the Leicester Curve. Ball played his final performance in the show on 16 November 2019, at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.
On 30 April 2021 he was cast as Maurice in the UK tour of Beauty and the Beast . [3] The production transferred to the London Palladium at the West End for a limited engagement beginning June 2022. [4]
Martin Ball presented three episodes of MusicalTalk - The UK's Musical Theatre Podcast. Such topics discussed thus far by Martin include Wicked, "Stagedooring" and The Drowsy Chaperone .
Ball was once engaged to actress Letitia Dean, known for playing the role of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera EastEnders .
Les Misérables, colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz, is a sung-through musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, and a book by Schönberg and Boublil, based on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. Set in early 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells the story of Jean Valjean, a French peasant, and his desire for redemption. After stealing a loaf of bread for his sister's starving child, Valjean is imprisoned for 19 years and released in 1815. When a bishop inspires him with a tremendous act of mercy, Valjean breaks his parole and starts his life anew and in disguise. He becomes wealthy and adopts an orphan, Cosette. A police inspector named Javert pursues Valjean over the decades in a single-minded quest for "justice". The characters are swept into a revolutionary period in France, where a group of young idealists attempts to overthrow the government at a street barricade in Paris.
Gary Beach was an American actor of stage, film and television. His roles included Roger De Bris in both the stage and film productions of The Producers, which won him a Tony Award, and Lumiere in the stage musical version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.
Beauty and the Beast is a Disney stage musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Beauty and the Beast – which in turn had been based on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" by French author Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont – Beauty and the Beast tells the story of an unkind prince who has been magically transformed into an unsightly creature as punishment for his selfish ways. To revert into his true human form, the Beast must learn to love a bright, beautiful young lady who he has imprisoned in his enchanted castle and earn her love in return before it is too late.
Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.
Laura Michelle Kelly is an English actress and singer, best known for originating the roles of Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins in the West End, for which she received the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and Sylvia Llewelyn Davies in Finding Neverland on Broadway.
Ken Page is an American actor and cabaret singer. Page created the role of "Ken" in the original Broadway production of Ain't Misbehavin', and played the role of "Old Deuteronomy" in both the original Broadway and filmed stage productions of Cats. Page is also known as the voice of Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas franchise. He also was in the original Broadway production of The Wiz as The Lion and the first Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls as Nicely-Nicely Johnson.
On the Record is a jukebox musical revue featuring many classic songs from a variety of live action and animated films and television series produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Broadway musical plays produced by Walt Disney Theatrical, and even Disneyland attractions. This theatrical celebration of 75 years of Disney music tells the story of four singers recording a greatest hits album in a magical recording studio. After opening in Cleveland in 2004, the production toured for nine months, visiting 24 cities in the United States before closing in Denver in mid-2005.
Gavin Lee is an English actor who has appeared on the stage in musical theatre, notably as Bert in the musical Mary Poppins, in both the West End and on Broadway, and as Squidward Tentacles in the original Broadway cast of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical.
Jenny Galloway is a British actress and singer best known for her stage career, which includes Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables.
Anna Myrra Malmberg is a Swedish singer, dancer, songwriter, and photographer.
Henry Hodges is an American actor. Hodges is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway; starring as "Chip" in Beauty and the Beast, as "Jeremy Potts" in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and as "Michael Banks" in Mary Poppins.
Linzi Hateley is an English stage actress. At the age of 21, in 1992, she became one of the youngest nominees for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as the Narrator in the West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Janie Dee is a British actress. She won the Olivier Award for Best Actress, Evening Standard Award and Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Play, and in New York the Obie and Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer, for her performance as Jacie Triplethree in Alan Ayckbourn's Comic Potential.
Rosemary Ashe is an English stage actress and singer.
Dianne Lesley Pilkington is an English theatre actress and singer.
Barry James is an English theatre actor and singer.
Caroline Sheen is a Welsh actress who has played leading roles on stage in the West End alongside TV and film appearances. She won a Helen Hayes award for playing the role of Mary Poppins on the National Tour of America.
Andrew Keenan-Bolger is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for originating the roles of Crutchie in Newsies and Jesse Tuck in Tuck Everlasting on Broadway. His other Broadway credits include Robertson Ay in Mary Poppins, Jojo in Seussical, and Chip in Beauty and the Beast.
Earl Carpenter is an English musical theatre actor and singer, recognized chiefly for his work in London’s West End. He is known for his performances as Inspector Javert in the stage musical Les Misérables and as the title character in The Phantom of the Opera, both roles he has played on and off for two decades. He is widely known for his rich, deep baritone singing voice.
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