Alex Rathgeber (born 17 November 1982) is an Australian actor and singer, perhaps best known for his Helpmann Award-winning performance as Billy Crocker in

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

. More recently he appeared as the Tin Man in

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

's revival of The Wizard of Oz. In the United Kingdom, Rathgeber played the role of Raoul in 21st Anniversary cast of

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...

in the West End. He is openly gay.

Early life

Alexander Wilson Rathgeber was born in

Horsham, Victoria Horsham () is a regional city in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. Located on a bend in the Wimmera River, Horsham is approximately northwest of the state capital Melbourne. As of the 2021 Census, Horsham had a population of 2 ...

and raised on a farm by real estate agent father, David, and primary school teacher and real estate agent mother, Katherine. He has two older siblings, Olivia and Nicholas. At 15-years-old, Rathgeber commenced as a boarder at

Xavier College Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Classes started in 1878. Th ...

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 ...

, where he became Vice-Captain of the School in his final year.

Training

Immediately following his year 12, Rathgeber was admitted into the world-renowned Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Graduating in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre).

Theatre

Rathgeber made his professional debut in supporting roles such as Gremio in

Kiss Me Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-s ...

and Sacha in ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

'' alongside

Topol Topol may refer to: Missiles * RT-2PM Topol, a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile in service from 1985 * RT-2PM2 Topol-M, a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile in service from 1997 People * Topol (surname) * Chaim Topol, Israeli a ...

in the role of Tevye. Rathgeber was cast by director

George Ogilvie George Buchan Ogilvie (5 March 1931 – 5 April 2020) was a prolific Australian theatre director and actor, who also worked as a director and actor within film and television. Life and career George Ogilvie began as an actor at the Canberra ...

in his first principal role -

Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...

in ''Camelot'' for Melbourne's The Production Company. He starred alongside

Katrina Retallick Katrina Retallick is an Australian actress possibly best known for appearing on the sketch comedy, television series, '' Comedy Inc.'' between 2003 and 2006. Career In 2001, Retallick had also been active in voice over work including campaign ...

, Scott Irwin,

Melissa Madden Gray Melissa Madden Gray, stage name Meow Meow, is an Australian-born actress, dancer and cabaret performer who tours internationally. Gray has been particularly active in the UK where she appeared in ''La Clique'' at the Roundhouse (venue), Roundho ...

and Dennis Olsen. Soon after, he was cast opposite

Silvie Paladino Silvie Paladino (born 18 August 1971) is an Australian singer. She began singing at the age of nine, learning at an inner-Melbourne music school, and from an early age won several major singing competitions, including the Italian Song Festival and ...

in the role of Billy in the new Australian production,

Sideshow Alley {{Unreferenced, date=June 2008 A sideshow alley is an Australian term for the cluster of attractions that may accompany public events such as agricultural shows. It is similar to the American term ' midway'. Australian sideshows typically compris ...

. In 2007 he moved to London where he landed the role of Raoul in

The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) ''The Phantom of the Opera'' is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe. Based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, it tells the story of a ...

in the West End, with

Ramin Karimloo Ramin Karimloo ( fa, رامین کریملو; ; born September 19, 1978) is a Canadian actor, singer and composer recognized for his work in London's West End and Broadway theatre. He has played the leading male roles in both of the West End's ...

playing the Phantom. Invited to return to Australia to appear in

Mame MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. Its intention is to preserve ...

as the nephew Patrick to

Rhonda Burchmore Rhonda Suzanne Burchmore OAM (born 15 May 1960) is an Australian entertainer. Career Burchmore appeared as Kate in the 1982 film, '' The Pirate Movie''. Burchmore gave her first Australian theatre performance in the 1988 production of '' Sugar ...

's Mame, he then played the part of Tony opposite

Esther Hannaford Esther Hannaford is an Australian singer and actor who has performed major roles in musical theatre in Australia. Her roles include Penny Pingleton in the original Australian cast of ''Hairspray'', for which she received a Helpmann Award, Ann ...

in The Boyfriend, before being cast by director Simon Phillips to play the groom Robert in

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre compa ...

's production of

The Drowsy Chaperone ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' is a Canadian musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a book by Bob Martin (comedian), Bob Martin and Don McKellar. The story concerns a middle-aged, asocial musical theater f ...

, alongside

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy ...

Christie Whelan Browne Christine "Christie" Whelan Browne (born 6 August 1982) is an Australian performer who has worked extensively in musical theatre as an actress, dancer and singer. She has also appeared on television shows and in films. In March 2012, she marri ...

Robyn Nevin Robyn Anne Nevin (25 September 1942) is an Australian actress, director, and stage producer, recognised with the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards and the JC Williamson Award at the Helpmann Awards for her outstanding contributions to Austral ...

Shane Jacobson Shane Jacobson (born 18 March 1970) is an Australian actor, director, writer, and comedian, best known as the "Dunny Man" for his performances as the eponymous character Kenny Smyth, a plumber working for a portable toilet rental company, in the ...

Grant Piro Grant Piro is an Australian actor. He is best known as the host of the children's television show ''Couch Potato'' on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He also appeared as Captain Schnepel in Escape From Pretoria. Career He began his care ...

and

Rohan Browne Rohan Browne (born ) is an Australian dancer, actor and singer. Career Browne's career started at age 18 in the original ''The Boy From Oz'' production. He went on to appear in over 20 musicals in Australia and internationally. Musicals includ ...

. He toured Korea and New Zealand as Brad Majors in

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple ...

, with

Lucy Maunder Lucy Maunder, is an Australian cabaret and theatre performer. She originated the role of Lara in the Australian premiere of ''Doctor Zhivago'' opposite Anthony Warlow, and has toured with her own cabaret ''Songs in the Key of Black'', releasing ...

as Janet,

Kristian Lavercombe Kristian Lavercombe is a Welsh-born actor and singer best known for playing Riff Raff in over 2000 performances of ''The Rocky Horror Show''. Described by the show's writer Richard O'Brien as "a fantastically talented Riff Raff", Lavercombe's int ...

as Riff Raff and the original writer of the show, Richard O’Brien, as the Narrator. In 2011 Rathgeber performed in three productions for Melbourne's

The Production Company The Production Company was an Australian not-for-profit theatre company that staged a series of usually three musicals at the Arts Centre Melbourne each year, until its closure in 2020. It was launched in 1999 by Jeanne Pratt AC with the goal o ...

. First, Australian stage legend

Nancye Hayes Nancye Lee Bertles AM ( Hayes; born January 1943), billed under her maiden name as Nancye Hayes, is an Australian actress, dancer, singer and choreographer/director and narrator. She has been a leading figure in Australian musical theatre sin ...

and musical director

John Foreman John Foreman may refer to: * John Foreman (musician) (born 1972), Australian musician * John Foreman (producer) (1925–1992), American film producer * John Foreman (footballer) (1913–1964), English footballer See also * Jon Foreman (born 1976), ...

cast Rathgeber in the part of Greg Connell in

The Boy From Oz ''The Boy from Oz'' is a Australian jukebox musical based on the life of singer and songwriter Peter Allen, featuring songs written by him. The book commissioned for the musical is by Nick Enright, based on Stephen MacLean's 1996 biography of A ...

, in which he sang the classic I Honestly Love You to

Todd McKenney Todd McKenney (born 31 May 1965) is an Australian dancer, theatre performer and TV personality. He is best known as a judge on Australian television talent show '' Dancing with the Stars''. As a theatre performer, he has appeared in numerous pr ...

's Peter Allen. This production also featured

Fem Belling Fem Belling (born 6 December 1978) is an South African Born, Australian Jazz vocalist and violinist with a dual career in stage musicals and jazz singing. Fem was raised in Johannesburg and later moved to Cape Town to establish a career in music ...

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

and Robyn Arthur as Marion Woolnough. During the Melbourne summer season of

, artistic director Ken Mackenzie-Forbes invited Rathgeber to appear in the role of Billy Crocker in

, teaming him up with

Amanda Harrison Amanda Harrison is an Australian actress and singer, known for her roles in ''Wicked'' (Elphaba), ''We Will Rock You'' ("Meat" understudy in the UK, and “Oz" understudy in Australia), and for originating the role of Paula Pokrifki in the worl ...

as Reno,

Wayne Scott Kermond Wayne Scott Kermond is an Australian musical theatre performer. He was born into a show business family. His grandfather, Gordon (1910–1997), and his uncles Norman (1920–2016) and Eric "Tibby" – The Kermond Brothers – were Tivoli perfo ...

as Moonface and

as Evelyn. Following on, Rathgeber was cast by

Roger Hodgman Roger Hodgman (born 1 December 1943) is an Australian stage and television director. He was educated at the Hutchins School and the University of Tasmania, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science in 1966, an ...

and Kellie Dickerson in the dual roles of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. and Jerry in

Grey Gardens ''Grey Gardens'' is a 1975 American documentary film by Albert and David Maysles. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive, upper-class women, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived in poverty at Grey Gardens, a der ...

, starring

Pamela Rabe Pamela may refer to: *''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'', a novel written by Samuel Richardson in 1740 *Pamela (name), a given name and, rarely, a surname *Pamela Spence, a Turkish pop-rock singer. Known as her stage name "Pamela" * MSC ''Pamela'', ...

as Little Edie (

Edith Bouvier Beale Edith Bouvier Beale (November 7, 1917 – January 14, 2002), nicknamed Little Edie, was an American socialite, fashion model, and cabaret performer. She was a first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Jacqueline Onassis and Lee Radziwill, Lee ...

) and

as Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale. In 2012, after creating the role of Sid Worley in various workshops of

An Officer and a Gentleman (musical) ''An Officer and a Gentleman, The Musical'' is a stage musical based on the 1982 film of the same name, written by Douglas Day Stewart. It had its world premiere May 18, 2012 at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia. The musical closed six ...

, Simon Philips cast Rathgeber in this tortured soul role for its World Premiere production, which opened at the Lyric Theatre Sydney in May of that year. Rathgeber played alongside

Ben Mingay Ben Mingay is an Australian actor and singer, perhaps best known for having played Buzz Graham in the series '' Packed to the Rafters'' and Rob Duffy in '' Wonderland''. He played the role of Billy in the stage version of ''Dirty Dancing'' in Au ...

as Zack Mayo, the part made famous by

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

. The stage adaptation of the film was co-penned by producer Sharleen Cooper Cohen and original screenplay writer Douglas Day Stuart, with music by

Ken Hirsch Kenneth William Hirsch is an American pop songwriter, pianist and record producer, co-writer of the international 1982 hit "I've Never Been to Me" with Ron Miller. He is also co-writer of the hits "If I Could", "No One in the World" and "Two Le ...

, it also starred

Bert Labonte Bert or BERT may refer to: Persons, characters, or animals known as Bert *Bert (name), commonly an abbreviated forename and sometimes a surname *Bert, a character in the poem "Bert the Wombat" by The Wiggles; from their 1992 album Here Comes a Son ...

Kate Kendall Kate Kendall (born 27 July 1973) is an Australian actress and director. She played Angie Piper in the long-running Nine Network Australian drama '' Stingers'' from 1998 to 2004. Kendall has appeared in television series '' The Librarians'' (20 ...

and

Zahra Newman Zahra Newman is a Jamaican-born Australian actress. Newman was born in Port Antonio Jamaica and spent her formative years in Kingston before migrating to Australia at the age of 14 with her mother. Her interest in the performing arts was nurt ...

. For the

Midsumma Festival Midsumma Festival is an annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ arts and cultures, held annually for 22 days across January and February in Melbourne, Australia. The festival began as a one-week celebration of gay pride in 1989. The festival has expande ...

of 2013, Dean Bryant created the verbatim play Gaybies, casting Rathgeber in a lineup including

Magda Szubanski Magdalene Mary Therese Szubanski ( ; born 12 April 1961) is an Australian comedy actress, author, singer and LGBT rights advocate. She performed in ''Fast Forward'', '' Kath & Kim'' as Sharon Strzelecki and in the films ''Babe'' (1995) and ' ...

Virginia Gay Virginia Gay (born 16 September 1981) is an Australian actress, writer and director, mostly known for her work on the Australian TV dramas ''Winners & Losers'' (as Frances James), and '' All Saints'' (as Gabrielle Jaeger). Education Born in ...

, Brent Hill and

Trevor Ashley Trevor Ashley (born 27 February 1980) is an Australian musical theatre actor, cabaret and drag artist based in Sydney. He also has appeared on television in "The Very Trevor Ashley Show" Early life Ashley grew up in the south of Sydney and stud ...

among others. In 2015 Rathgeber joined the cast of

Next To Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing ...

at Sydney's

Hayes Theatre The Hayes Theatre is a 111-seat theatre specialising in music theatre and cabaret in Potts Point, Sydney, Australia. It is named after the Australian performer Nancye Hayes. Hayes Theatre Co was established at the former Darlinghurst Theatre afte ...

, playing the two doctor roles to Natalie O’Donnell's portrayal of mentally-ill Diana. In 2015, Rathgeber returned to the role of Billy Crocker for the national tour of

, produced by

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of ...

and GFO. The Australian tour of Anything Goes opened at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

in September 2015 then travelled to the Princess Theatre Melbourne and

Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank, Queensland, South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it ...

, Brisbane. The production was directed by Dean Bryant and choreographed by Andrew Hallsworth, this time with Caroline O'Connor as Reno, Claire Lyon as Hope and

Carmen Duncan Carmen Joan Duncan (7 July 1942 – 3 February 2019) was an Australian-born stage and screen actress and activist, with a career locally and internationally in the United States that spanned over 50 years. She was nominated for the AFI Award ...

as Mrs. Harcourt. For his role as Billy, Rathgeber won the 2015

Helpmann Award The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical th ...

for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical. Stepping straight off the Sydney Opera House stage, Rathgeber played the villain Carl in the Australian tour of

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

the Musical opposite

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * ''Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' ser ...

stars

Rob Mills Robert Mills (born 21 June 1982) is an Australian actor, television host and singer-songwriter. He was one of the finalists from the first season of ''Australian Idol''. He co-hosted the late-night quiz show '' The Mint'', and was a regular sin ...

and

Jemma Rix Jemma Rix (née Stevenson; born 25 December 1984) is an Australians, Australian theatre performer, who has played the role of Elphaba in the Melbourne, Sydney, Australian and Asian touring companies of ''Wicked (musical), Wicked''. Rix first per ...

as Sam and Molly. This production was the touring version of

Matthew Warchus Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015. Personal life Warchus is married to American actress Lau ...

's UK production, which was choreographed by

Ashley Wallen Ashley Wallen is an Australian choreographer and has worked with stars such as the Sugababes, Kylie Minogue, Will Young and Mariah Carey. He was the resident dance captain on ''The X Factor'' and appeared as a panelist for Arlene Phillips on ...

. Rathgeber next returned to Melbourne to play the role of Aaron Fox in

Curtains A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditorium ...

the Musical, alongside

Simon Gleeson Simon Gleeson (born 13 January 1977) is an Australian actor and singer who is best known for playing Jean Valjean in the 2014 Australian revival and in the 2016/17 cast of the West End production of ''Les Misérables''. He performed in Noël Co ...

and Alinta Chidzey for Melbourne's

. In 2017 Rathgeber was cast in the Australian national tour of The Wizard of Oz as Hickory and Tin Man. He toured Australia alongside

Anthony Warlow Anthony Warlow (born 18 November 1961) is an Australian musical theatre performer, noted for his character acting and considerable vocal range. He is a classically trained lyric baritone and made his debut with the Australian Opera in 1980. ...

in the title role of the Wizard,

as the Wicked Witch,

Lucy Durack Lucy Durack (born 17 November 1982) is an Australian actress, singer and television personality who played Glinda in the Australian production of ''Wicked (musical), Wicked'', and Elle Woods in the Australian production of ''Legally Blonde (musi ...

as Glinda the Good Witch and Samantha Dodemaide as Dorothy. This revival of The Wizard of Oz featured new music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and was directed by the UK's

Jeremy Sams Jeremy Sams (born 12 January 1957) is a British theatre director, writer, translator, orchestrator, musical director, film composer, and lyricist. Early life and education Sams is the son of the late Shakespearean scholar and musicologist Eric ...

and played at the

Brisbane, the

Capitol Theatre, Sydney The Capitol Theatre is a heritage-listed theatre located at 3-15 Campbell Street, Haymarket, in the Sydney central business district, Australia. It was designed by Henry Eli White and John Eberson and built from 1893 to 1928. The property was ad ...

, The

Adelaide Festival Centre Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the 1970s, designed by Hassell Architects. The Festival Theatre opened in June 1973 with the rest of the centr ...

Adelaide and The

Regent Theatre, Melbourne The Regent Theatre is an historic former picture palace built in 1929, closed in 1970, and restored and reopened in 1996 as a live theatre in Collins Street, in the city of Melbourne, Australia. It is one of six city theatres collectively know ...

throughout 2017 and 2018. In Oct/Nov 2019, Rathgeber was cast as Simon Stride in the first Australian professional production of Jekyll & Hyde. It was staged to absolute critical acclaim, with performances sold out with full standing ovations. The production marked the 25th Anniversary of Anthony Warlow's iconic 'Complete Works' recording. It starred

performing Jekyll & Hyde on stage for the first time and leading Australian music theatre star

as Lucy. The cast included a host of leading Australian music theatre and opera stars.

Television

Rathgeber has played the roles of Jim Hallett-Jones in Rush 2008 TV Series for Network Ten, Gwilym Evans in

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' is an Australian drama television series. It was first broadcast on ABC on 24 February 2012. It is based on author Kerry Greenwood's historical mystery novels, and it was created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger. ...

for the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

, and Marcus Hallam in

Winners & Losers ''Winners & Losers'' is an Australian television drama series first broadcast on the Seven Network on 22 March 2011. It was created by the producers of ''Packed to the Rafters'' and is aired in the show's former time slot. ''Winners & Losers'' ...

for the Seven Network.

Concerts & Live Performances

Rathgeber has been a guest artist at fundraising events including Hats Off! Melbourne and Hats Off! Sydney, Light The Night, The Brian Stacey Night, the Save La Mama Theatre (Melbourne) concert, TheatreAid Flood Relief, Black Saturday bushfires appeals, and a regular guest singer for Very Special Kids' annual Memorial Day ceremonies commemorating the lives of children who've lost their battle with terminal illnesses. In 2012, Rathgeber performed the

Australian National Anthem "Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, sung in Australia as a patriotic song. It first replaced "God Save the Queen" as the ...

for Sydney's

Golden Slipper Stakes The Golden Slipper Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses run over 1,200 metres on turf at set weights conditions, held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. It is the premier two y ...

horse racing event. He also sang the Anthem for the launch of the 2013

Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...

Awards, with former Prime Minister of Australia

Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, holding office as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She is the first and only ...

in attendance. Rathgeber has headlined numerous concerts alongside the likes of

, Matt Hetherington,

Tim Draxl Tim Draxl (born 8 October 1981) is an Australian actor and singer, known for his role as Doctor Henry Fox in ''A Place to Call Home''. Early life Draxl was born in Sydney and grew up in Jindabyne where his family was in the ski industry. He ...

, Chelsea Plumley,

Marina Prior Marina Prior (born 18 October 1963) is an Australian soprano and actress with a career mainly in musical theatre. From 1990 to 1993, she starred as the original Christine Daaé in the Australian premiere of ''The Phantom of the Opera'', opposit ...

, James Millar,

Elise McCann Elise McCann (born 28 July 1985) is an Australian actress and musical theatre performer most well known for originating the role of Miss Honey in the Australian production of ''Matilda the Musical'' and as Lucille Ball in ''Everybody Loves Lucy ...

Anna O'Byrne Anna O'Byrne (born 20 September 1987) is an Australian actress and soprano singer best known for her portrayal of Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''The Phantom of the Opera'' and the original Australian production of Lloyd Webber's seq ...

Amy Lehpamer Amy Lehpamer is an Australian musical theatre performer. Originally a violinist, Lehpamer's early stage roles include Young Phyllis in ''Follies'' in 2008, '' Shane Warne: The Musical'' in 2008 and 2009, and ''The Threepenny Opera'' in 2010. She ...

Judi Connelli Judi Connelli AM (born 20 July 1947) is an Australian singer and actress in theatre, opera and television. Connelli is best known for her career in opera and stage musicals. As a singer she has starred in performable with the Sydney Symphony ...

Gorgi Coghlan Georgina Coghlan ( Rendell; born 18 August 1975) is an Australian television presenter and performer who is best known for co-hosting Network Ten's Logie Award winning '' The Circle'' between 2010 and 2012, as well as being a regular panelist ...

Wendy Stapleton Wendy Anne-Marie Stapleton (born 8 July 1954) is an Australian pop/rock singer-songwriter, musical theatre performer and television actress and presenter Stapleton has performed as a backing singer, session musician and a solo artist; she fronte ...

Suzanne Johnston Suzanne Johnston (born 1958) is an Australian operatic mezzo-soprano who first performed professionally in 1981. Born in the Melbourne suburb of Murrumbeena, Johnston attended Kilvington Grammar School. She then had singing lessons at the Victor ...

, Mathew Frank,

Simon Burke Simon Gareth Burke (born 8 October 1961) is an Australian actor, active in films, television and theatre. Biography Simon Burke began his career at the age of 12, starring in Michael Cove's ''Kookaburra''; a painful look at a dysfunctional wo ...

and many more.

Cabaret

In 2004, Rathgeber made his solo cabaret debut with A Momentary Act at The Butterfly Club in Melbourne, directed by Martin Croft and featuring original music and accompaniment by composer-lyricist

Matthew Lee Robinson Matthew Lee Robinson is an Australian composer/lyricist and actor, most known for his musical theatre and television work. Career Robinson was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, and graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts ...

. In 2010 Rathgeber featured in the cabaret Seriously Something with

, Chris Parker & Josh Piterman at Melbourne's

Chapel Off Chapel Chapel Off Chapel is a theatre venue in Prahran, Melbourne. Located near Chapel Street and opened in 1995, the venue consists of the 255-seat Chapel Theatre, the 150-seat Chapel Loft and a visual arts gallery. Chapel Off Chapel is particularly ...

. Rathgeber was invited by the 2010

Adelaide Cabaret Festival The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is an annual arts festival featuring cabaret held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It has been held in June each year since 2001, with the exception of 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, ...

artistic director David Campbell to perform a new solo show in the Festival, for which he co-created the Cole Porter-themed Experiment with writer-director Dean Bryant and musical director James Simpson. In 2015 Rathgeber joined forces with

to present Unforgettable.

Nominations & Awards

In 2015, Rathgeber was awarded a

for his performance as Billy Crocker in

for

and John Frost. He had previously been nominated in the

Sydney Theatre Awards The Sydney Theatre Awards are annual awards to recognise the strength, quality and diversity of professional theatre in Sydney, Australia. They were established in 2005 by a group of major Sydney theatre critics. The awards recognise mainstage and ...

for his performance as Sid Worley in

An Officer and a Gentleman Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (or conduct unbecoming for short) is an offense that is subject to court martial in the armed forces of some nations. Use in the United Kingdom The phrase was used as a charge in courts martial of t ...

, and in the

Green Room Awards The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne. The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...

for his performance as Older Patrick in

. After his success in London in 2007, Rathgeber was awarded a civic reception from the City of Horsham by the mayor, Councilor Gary Bird.

Recordings (Discography)

* ''Sideshow Alley the Musical, Australian Cast Recording (2007)''; World Premiere Cast Recording. * ''Georgy Girl the Musical, Australian Cast Recording (2015)''; World Premiere Cast Recording. * ''Easy to Love (2015)''; solo album by Alex Rathgeber featuring Caroline O'Connor,

and Claire Lyon. Musical Director Stephen Amos. Produced by James Kempster at Rockcandy Productions.

Workshops & Developmental Works

Rathgeber has taken part in the development of various new musicals including Georgy Girl, Dream Lover: The Bobby Darin Musical, Melba,

, Happy People, Atlantis, Muriel's Wedding the Musical, The Silver Donkey,

King Kong (2013 musical) ''King Kong'' is a musical with music by Marius de Vries, lyrics by Michael Mitnick and Craig Lucas, a book by Lucas and additional musical and lyrical contributions by 3D, Sarah McLachlan, Guy Garvey, Justice and The Avalanches. It is based on ...

and others.

Voluntary Work

Rathgeber has been an ambassador for Entertainment Assist since 2017, advocating for increased mental health awareness and support for Australian entertainment industry workers. As a strong supporter of his hometown Horsham, Victoria he is an ambassador for the Horsham Town Hall Performing Arts Centre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rathgeber, Alex 1982 births Living people Australian male musical theatre actors People educated at Xavier College Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts alumni 21st-century Australian LGBT people People from Horsham, Victoria