John Owen-Jones (born 5 May 1971) is a Welsh musical theatre actor and singer, best known for his portrayals of
Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his ...
in
Alain Boublil &
Claude-Michel Schönberg
Claude-Michel Schönberg (born 6 July 1944, in Vannes) is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with lyricist Alain Boublil. Major works include ''La Révolution Franà ...
's ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...
'' and of
the Phantom 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 ''
The Phantom of the Opera''.
He most recently appeared as Valjean on the 25th Anniversary Tour of ''Les Misérables'', and as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera UK Tour, as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations. He has now recorded six studio albums.
Early life
Owen-Jones was born in 1971 and originates from
Burry Port
Burry Port ( cy, Porth Tywyn) is a port town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, on the Loughor estuary (Moryd Llwchwr), to the west of Llanelli and south-east of Kidwelly. Its population was recorded at 5,680 in the 2001 census and 6,156 i ...
in
Carmarthenshire. He was educated at
Glan-y-Mor Comprehensive School, and was a member of the still running local theatre group, Llanelli Youth Theatre. Jones went on to train at the
Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He graduated in 1994 with a BA (Hons) in Acting.
He has been married since 1999 to Teresa, a primary school teacher. They live in Surrey with their two children.
Musical Theatre
During 1995 he played the 'liebeslieder' in
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
's ''A Little Night Music'' at the National Theatre along with
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...
,
Patricia Hodge, Joanna Riding and
Siân Phillips
Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips ( ), is a Welsh actress. She has performed the title roles in Ibsen's ''Hedda Gabler'' and George Bernard Shaw's '' Saint Joan''.
Early life
Phi ...
, and in ''The Ladies Paradise'' at the RNT Studio.
In 1998, he became the youngest person ever to play the role of Jean Valjean full-time when he took over in the London production at the age of 26. He had previously understudied the role, and had also performed the roles of the Factory Foreman, Feuilly,
Grantaire and
Enjolras. Owen-Jones also appeared in the choir of the 10th Anniversary Concert at the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in 1995.
In 2000, he was part of that year's season at the
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. He played roles in ''The Pirates of Penzance'' and ''Much Ado About Nothing''. In 2001, he was chosen to succeed Scott Davies in the title role in ''
The Phantom of the Opera''. He left the role on 26 February 2005, after three and a half years and nearly 1,400 performances, making him the longest running London Phantom. His last performance in this run was with
Rachel Barrell. In 2015 he agreed to play the Phantom again for a limited period of time – 7 September 2015 until Saturday 30 January 2016.
His other theatre work includes Antipholus in ''
The Boys from Syracuse'' and Lorenzo in ''
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
'' at Harrogate Theatre, Herr Zeller in ''
The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...
'', Cléante in ''The Hypochondriac'', Valère in ''Le Médecin Volant'' at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and ''Uprooted'' at the Tricycle Theatre, and he performed in a private concert version in London of the musical ''
Tomorrow Morning'' by
Laurence Mark Wythe
Laurence Mark Wythe is an English composer, lyricist and writer for West End, international and Off-Broadway musicals. He is principally known for the off-Broadway musical '' Tomorrow Morning'' (2011), '' Through the Door'' and ''Midnight''. ' ...
.
Owen-Jones reprised the role of Jean Valjean in ''Les Misérables'' at the
Queen's Theatre in London, beginning 27 June 2005. He took a month off in May 2006, during which time he played the role of Gaylord Ravenal in ''
Show Boat'', the first fully staged musical performed at the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
, which played for a limited season between 10 and 25 June 2006. He then returned to ''Misérables'' in the West End until his contract expired on 6 October 2007. After finishing his London contract, Owen-Jones went to the US to perform the role of Valjean on
Broadway, trading locales with
Drew Sarich
Drew Sarich (born August 24, 1975) is an American stage actor and singer songwriter from St. Louis, who performes in the English and German languages.
Biography
Sarich received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, BFA in Musical Theatre with a concentration ...
, who was playing the role of Valjean in the American production. Owen-Jones began performances on 23 October 2007 and returned in January 2008 when the show finished its Broadway run. Owen-Jones most recently played Valjean on the 25th Anniversary International Touring production of ''Les Misérables'', which opened 12 December 2009 in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, and ended 2 October 2010 at the Barbican Theatre in London, where the show first played.
He performed the role of the Phantom in London once again, as of 1 November 2010 and continued his run until 10 December 2011. His first performance back was with
Sofia Escobar. From March 2012, Owen-Jones played the title role in the show's 25th Anniversary UK tour opposite
Katie Hall. He left the tour that September and was replaced by
Earl Carpenter.
On 16 December 2010, Owen-Jones appeared in the
Royal Variety Performance
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...
at the
London Palladium as part of the 'Valjean Quartet' alongside
Alfie Boe
Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (born 29 September 1973) is an English tenor and actor, notably performing in musical theatre.
He is best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in the musical ''Les Misérables'' at the Queen's Theatre in Lo ...
,
Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson (born 5 June 1944), also known as C. T. Wilkinson, is an Irish tenor and actor who is best known for originating the lead role of Jean Valjean in ''Les Misérables'' (in the West End and Broadway) and for taking the title role in ...
and
Simon Bowman
Simon Bowman (born 16 February 1961) is a British actor and singer, born in Cardiff and trained at Mountview Theatre School. He is best known for originating the role of Chris, opposite Lea Salonga's Kim, in the original production of ''Miss Sa ...
(Each of whom have previously played the role of Jean Valjean in various productions of ''Les Misérables''). Together they sang "Bring Him Home" just as they had performed at the 25th Anniversary Performance of ''Les Misérables'' at the O2 Arena. Earlier that week, the recording of the song from the O2 Arena concert had been released as a UK Single.
As part of the 25th anniversary of ''
The Phantom of the Opera'', Owen-Jones performed the title song at
The Royal Variety Performance
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...
– held in
The Lowry,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
– on Monday 5 December 2011. Performing alongside
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
, Owen-Jones was joined by three other former Phantoms (
Simon Bowman
Simon Bowman (born 16 February 1961) is a British actor and singer, born in Cardiff and trained at Mountview Theatre School. He is best known for originating the role of Chris, opposite Lea Salonga's Kim, in the original production of ''Miss Sa ...
,
Earl Carpenter and
Ramin Karimloo). The performance was aired on
ITV1 on Wednesday 14 December 2011. He also performed it, along with ''
The Music of the Night'', with Karimloo,
Colm Wilkinson
Colm Wilkinson (born 5 June 1944), also known as C. T. Wilkinson, is an Irish tenor and actor who is best known for originating the lead role of Jean Valjean in ''Les Misérables'' (in the West End and Broadway) and for taking the title role in ...
,
Peter Jöback and
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.
...
, at the 25th anniversary production ''
The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall
''The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall'' is a 2011 British concert film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical ''The Phantom of the Opera'', which in turn was based on the 1910 French novel ''Le Fantôme de l'Opéra'' by G ...
'' in October 2011. He also sang at the 25th anniversary gala of New York's production of the show with Ramin Karimloo, Hugh Panaro, and Peter Joback, the last of whom went on to reprise the role on Broadway for a short time.
Owen-Jones also toured the UK with the Earl Carpenter production of The Three Phantoms, the highlight of which is a trio performance of 'Music of the Night'. In January 2014, he went to New York to record the concept album for a new Broadway show An American Victory with Hugh Panaro, Ruthie Henshall, Alexander Gemignani, and many other Broadway stars. The musical will be directed by Larry Blank.
In 2015 from October to January 2016 he returned to Phantom of the Opera. Shortly after, Owen-Jones returned to Broadway to reprise the role of Valjean in the production's closing cast. On his return from Broadway, Owen-Jones appeared in a concert version of ''
The Hired Man
''The Hired Man'' is a novel by Melvyn Bragg, first published in 1969 by Secker and Warburg. It is the first part of Bragg's Cumbrian Trilogy.
The story is set predominantly in the rural area around Thurston (Bragg's name for Wigton, his home ...
'' at Cadogan Hall.
Television
Owen-Jones's work on television includes ''The Bill''; ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby''; ''The South Bank Show''; ''The Margaret Williams Show''; ''A Week in the West End''; ''Record Breakers''; and ''Backstage: Pebble Mill''.
He appeared at the Golden Mask Awards in Russia, where he and Anna O'Byrne sang a part of the title song of Phantom of the Opera. In December 2004 he appeared in a televised Christmas Concert as a featured soloist, alongside
Michael Ball. In May 2014, he appeared on ''The Elaine Paige Show'', with Trevor Nunn, Herbert Kretzmer and Scarlett Strallen. He sang the song "Bring Him Home" from the musical ''Les Misérables''.
Theatre Credits
Recordings
![Adre'n ôl, album cover](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Adre%27n_%C3%B4l%2C_album_cover.jpg)
In late 2006, Owen-Jones released his first solo CD, a five-track EP entitled ''Hallelujah'' He released a self-titled album in 2006 with tracks from ''Les Misérables'', ''Phantom of the Opera'', and a trio with
Michael Ball and
Bryn Terfel.
In 2012, he produced a third album, ''Unmasked'', which was released on 16 April. In 2015, Owen-Jones released the album ''Rise''; with tracks from musicals and known hymns, the album includes some Welsh language songs, followed by ''Rise'' in 2015 and ''Bring Him Home'' in 2016. His sixth album, ''Spotlight'', was released on 15 February 2019.
References
External links
JohnOwenJones.com – Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen-Jones, John
Welsh male musical theatre actors
Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Living people
Welsh tenors
1971 births
People from Burry Port