Rob Madge | |
---|---|
![]() Rob Madge in My Son's A Queer (But What Can You Do?) at the Ambassadors Theatre in April 2023 | |
Born | Robert Dennis Madge 2 August 1996 Coventry, England |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2005–present |
Robert Dennis Madge (born 2 August 1996) is an English actor, writer and musical theatre performer.
Madge first rose to prominence as a child actor, appearing in the West End musicals Mary Poppins and Oliver! before appearing as Gavroche in Les Misérables in the 25th Anniversary Concert at The O2. [1]
As an adult, they are best known for writing and starring in the WhatsOnStage Award winning and Laurence Olivier Award nominate autobiographical solo show My Son's A Queer (But What Can You Do?), which has been performed in the West End, as well as appearing in the world premiere UK and Ireland tour of Bedknobs and Broomsticks and the London Palladium pantomimes.
Madge discovered their love for performing at a young age and made their professional debut at the age of 9, when they starred as Michael Banks in the original West End production of Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre from 2005 to 2007. [2] In autumn 2007, they played Fleance in Macbeth at the Gielgud Theatre starring Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood, directed by Rupert Goold. They then appeared in the role of the Artful Dodger in the West End revival of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, also directed by Goold [3] shortly followed by their acclaimed performance as Gavroche in Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre as well as getting the opportunity to perform the role in the 25th Anniversary Concert at The O2 in October 2010. [4] Madge also played Reginald in the world premiere of Matilda at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon from November 2010 to January 2011.
Madge had their first adult role in the Les Misérables UK and Ireland tour beginning October 2019, playing the role of student Jean Prouvaire before being cut short due in March 2020 to the COVID-19 pandemic. [5]
In August 2021, Madge began touring as Norton the Fish in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, which premiered at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne. [6] [7] They followed this with a month's run at The Other Palace, starring in a new musical, Millenials: A Pop Song Cycle, in July 2022. [8]
In December 2022, Madge appeared in pantomime as Pat The Cow in Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium. In December 2023, they returned to the Palladium pantomime as Tink in Peter Pan and will return in December 2024 as The Spirit of Sherwood in Robin Hood.
In October 2023, Madge won The Theatre Award in the 2023 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards . [9]
In September 2024, Madge will play Alex in Buyer & Cellar at the King's Head Theatre, Off-West End before transferring to The Drum at Theatre Royal, Plymouth.
My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) is a one-person play written and performed by Madge (with songs by Madge and Pippa Cleary), directed by Luke Sheppard, which is a coming of age, autobiographical story of Madge when they were a child attempting to stage a full-blown one-person Disney show in their home; it also explores Madge's uplifting and inspiring discovery that they are non-binary.[ citation needed ]
They first performed the show at the Turbine Theatre in June 2021, [10] then a revival at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2022.[ citation needed ] The show transferred to the West End at the Garrick Theatre in October 2022 and the Ambassadors Theatre in January 2023 for limited runs. [11] The show won the 2022 WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End show in 2022 and was nominated for the 2023 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play.
My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) was scheduled to open at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway on 27th February 2024 for 16 week limited engagement. [12] The show has since rescheduled to next season, with an unconfirmed theatre and dates. [13] Madge wrote and performed a new show in response to the postponement called Rob Madge's Regards to Broadway which played at the Garrick Theatre on 26 May 2024.
In July and August 2024, My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) will begin a UK tour before returning to the Edinburgh Fringe.
Madge identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. [14]
Year | Production | Role | Theatre | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005–07 | Mary Poppins | Michael Banks | Prince Edward Theatre | West End | December 2005 – August 2007 |
2007 | Macbeth | Fleance | Gielgud Theatre | West End | September – December 2007 |
2008–09 | Oliver! | Artful Dodger | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, West End | West End | December 2008 – December 2009 |
2010 | Les Misérables | Gavroche | Barbican Theatre | West End | September – October 2010 |
The O2 | London | 3 October 2010 25th Anniversary Concert | |||
2010–11 | Matilda | Reginald | Courtyard Theatre | Stratford Upon Avon | November 2010 – January 2011 |
2019–20 | Les Misérables | Jean Prouvaire | UK & Ireland Tour | — | October 2019 – March 2020 |
2021 | My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) | Themself (also writer) | Turbine Theatre | Off-West End | 17 June – 17 July 2021 |
2021–22 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Norton the Fish | UK & Ireland Tour | — | August 2021 – May 2022 |
2022 | Millenials: A Pop Song Cycle | Multi-role | The Other Palace | Off-West End | 8 July – 7 August 2022 |
2022 | My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) | Themself (also writer) | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | Edinburgh | 4 – 29 August 2022 |
2022 | Norwich Playhouse | Norwich | 2 – 3 September 2022 | ||
2022 | Garrick Theatre | West End | 21 October – 6 November 2022 | ||
2022–23 | Jack & The Beanstalk | Pat The Cow | London Palladium | West End | 10 December 2022 – 15 January 2023 |
2023 | My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) | Themself (also writer) | Ambassadors Theatre | West End | 25 January – 1 April 2023 |
2023–24 | Peter Pan | Tink | London Palladium | West End | 9 December 2023 – 14 January 2024 |
2024 | Rob Madge's Regards to Broadway | Themself (also writer) | Garrick Theatre | West End | 26 May 2024 |
2024 | My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) | UK & Ireland Tour | — | 8 July – 25 August 2024 | |
2024 | Buyer & Cellar | Alex | King's Head Theatre | Off West End | 18 September – 19 October 2024 |
The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth | Plymouth | 29 October – 3 November 2024 | |||
2024–25 | Robin Hood | The Spirit of Sherwood | London Palladium | West End | 7 December 2024 – 12 January 2025 |
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. The original French musical premiered in Paris in 1980 with direction by Robert Hossein. Its English-language adaptation, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, produced by Cameron Mackintosh, has been running in London since October 1985, making it the longest-running musical in the West End and the second longest-running musical in the world after the original Off-Broadway run of The Fantasticks. A film adaptation was released in 2012.
The London Palladium is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many with televised performances. Between 1955 and 1969 Sunday Night at the London Palladium was staged at the venue, produced for the ITV network. The show included a performance by the Beatles on 13 October 1963. One national paper's headlines in the following days coined the term "Beatlemania" to describe the increasingly hysterical interest in the band.
The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of brothers Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman. Together they received various accolades including two Academy Awards and three Grammy Awards. They received nominations for a Laurence Olivier Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 1976, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the National Medal of the Arts in 2008.
Richard Morton Sherman was an American songwriter who specialized in musical films with his brother Robert B. Sherman. According to the official Walt Disney Company website and independent fact checkers, "The Sherman Brothers were responsible for more motion picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history."
Sally Ann Howes was an English actress and singer. Her career on screen, stage and television spanned six decades. She is best known for the role of Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In 1963, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for her performance in Brigadoon.
Jonathan Lee is an English singer and actor. Lee is the youngest member of pop group S Club, who disbanded in April 2003, before reuniting in March 2023. With a long career in musical theatre, he has taken on roles in more than 17 productions, including the West End shows Les Misérables and Jersey Boys.
The Alexandra, commonly known as the Alex, is a theatre on Suffolk Queensway in Birmingham, England.
Ramin Karimloo is a Canadian actor, singer and songwriter recognized for his work in London's West End and New York's Broadway theatre.
Robert Hugh "Hadley" Fraser is an English actor and singer. He made his West End debut as Marius Pontmercy in Les Misérables. He also originated the role of Tiernan in the Broadway show The Pirate Queen.
Dianne Lesley Pilkington is an English theatre actress and singer.
Samantha Jane Barks is a Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008. She has released three studio albums: Looking in Your Eyes (2007), Samantha Barks (2016), and Into the Unknown (2021), and made her film debut as Éponine in the Tom Hooper-directed Les Misérables in 2012. Her performance in the film won her the Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer and a shared National Board of Review Award with the film's cast.
The WhatsOnStage Awards, formerly known as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com. The awards recognise performers and productions of British theatre with an emphasis on London's West End theatre.
Adam Searles is a British stage, film, and television actor. He has portrayed Gavroche in Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre, London, and played the original Artful Dodger in Cameron Mackintosh's 1994 production of Oliver! at the London Palladium. Searles opened the show in 1994 with Jonathan Pryce in the role of Fagin and was requested to close the show in 1998 with Jim Dale as Fagin.
Danielle Hope is an English actress and singer. She was the winner of the BBC talent contest Over The Rainbow and as a result played the part of Dorothy in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz, which began performances at the London Palladium in the West End in February 2011. Following this role, she went on to play the role of Éponine in Les Misérables in the West End, starting in June 2012.
The Wizard of Oz is a 2011 musical based on the 1939 film of the same name in turn based on L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with a book adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses the Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg songs from the film and includes some new songs and additional music by Lloyd Webber and additional lyrics by Tim Rice. It is the third stage musical adaptation of the film following the 1942 version for the St. Louis Municipal Opera and the 1987 version for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Les Misérables is a 2012 epic period musical film directed by Tom Hooper from a screenplay by William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, and Herbert Kretzmer, based on the stage musical of the same name by Schönberg, Boublil, and Jean-Marc Natel, which in turn is based on the 1862 novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sacha Baron Cohen, with Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveit, and Daniel Huttlestone in supporting roles.
Carrie Hope Fletcher is an English West End theatre actress and singer. Her performances include the roles of Éponine and Fantine in Les Misérables, Carrie has also starred in the original British production of Heathers: The Musical and she originated the role of Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella. Outside of her theatre work, Carrie has a large social media following with over half a million subscribers on YouTube. As well as this, she has written several bestselling novels for children and adults.
Sophie Isaacs is an English stage actress and singer. She is known for portraying the role of Heather McNamara in Heathers: The Musical at The Other Palace and Theatre Royal Haymarket and for portraying Katherine Howard in Six at the Arts Theatre, Lyric Theatre and Vaudeville Theatre.
Charlotte Emily Ball, known professionally as Charlotte Kennedy, is an English actress. She is known for her work in musical theatre.
My Son's A Queer is a one-person biographical play by Rob Madge, with songs by Madge and Pippa Cleary. The show revolves around Madge's childhood videos, and the shows they used to put on in their living room for their parents.