Andrew James Holmes (born November 14, 1988 in California) is an American actor, singer and composer working in

musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, and a member of

StarKid Productions StarKid Productions, also known as Team StarKid, is an American musical theatre company founded in 2009 at the University of Michigan by Darren Criss, Brian Holden, Matt Lang, and Nick Lang. Originally known for the viral success of their fi ...

. He is known primarily for playing the role of Elder Cunningham in ''

The Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...

'' on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, the US tour, the West End, Melbourne and Sydney. Holmes is also a member of StarKid Productions, having composed music for four of the theatre company's shows and acted in two of them. He was the sole composer of '' Twisted'', leading him to be most closely identified with that musical.

Early life

Holmes grew up in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

and graduated from

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 2011.

Career

While still in college, Holmes was a founding member of

, co-composing the music for their first show in 2009, ''

A Very Potter Musical ''A Very Potter Musical'' (originally titled ''Harry Potter: The Musical'' and often shortened to ''AVPM'') is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A. J. Holmes and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang and Brian Holden.Me and My Dick ''Me and My Dick'' is a musical with music and lyrics by A.J. Holmes,Austrone, Xavier"StarKid Interview: Starship Coverage & A VERY POTTER THREEQUEL!?" Wizardinglife.com, November 22, 2010. Retrieved on July 22, 2011. Carlos Valdes, and Darren C ...

'' later that year, as well as playing the acting role of Joey's Heart. After graduating, Holmes was cast as Frederick Frankenstein in the US national tour of ''

Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor F ...

''. Holmes played this role from September 30, 2011 to May 31, 2012. In 2012, Holmes returned to StarKid for ''

A Very Potter Senior Year ''A Very Potter Senior Year'' (often shortened to ''AVPSY'') is a musical written by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden with songs by Clark Baxtresser, Pierce Siebers, A. J. Holmes, and additional songs by Darren Criss. It is the conclusion ...

''. He served as co-composer, musical director, and keyboard 1 in the pit orchestra, as well as playing the role of Gilderoy Lockhart. In 2013, Holmes was the standby for Elder Cunningham on ''

'' in the Chicago, Illinois production. He also composed the music for StarKid's '' Twisted'' alongside Kaley McMahon, who wrote the lyrics. In 2013–2014, Holmes played Cunningham on the first national tour of ''The Book of Mormon''. In 2014, Holmes transferred to the

production of ''The Book of Mormon'' as a standby for Cunningham from January 14, 2014 to June 29, 2014. From July 28, 2014 to January 31, 2015, he played the role in the West End production of the show, replacing

Jared Gertner Jared Gertner is an American actor best known for his work in the American musical theater, including a co-starring role in the first touring and London productions of ''The Book of Mormon''. Life and career Gertner was raised in Toms River, New ...

. In 2015–2016, Holmes embarked on the second national tour of ''The Book of Mormon'', again reprising his role as Elder Cunningham. He played this role from February 13, 2015 to May 1, 2016. In 2017–2018, Holmes continued playing Elder Cunningham in ''The Book of Mormon''. He originated the role in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

from its opening on January 17, 2017, until his departure on June 25, 2017. Holmes returned to the role when the production moved to the

Sydney Lyric Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...

theater on February 28, 2018. Holmes departed the production on September 9, 2018.

Credits

Actor

Music

References

External links

*
Official Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, A.J. 1989 births 21st-century American male actors American male musical theatre actors Living people StarKid Productions members University of Michigan alumni