Peter Karrie (originally Peter Karagianis), born 10 August 1946, is a Welsh singer and an honorary fellow of the

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama , image_name = Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.jpg , image_size = , motto = , established = 1949 , type = Public , staff = , vice_chancellor = , students = 779 (2017/18) , undergrad ...

. He played the lead role in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''

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 Pier ...

'' in London (1991, 1992),

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

(1992, 1994–1995, 1998), The Canadian "Far East" Tour –

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Singapore, and Hong Kong (1995,1997), and in the UK Tour in Bradford, and

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 ...

(2000). In 1994 and 1995 members of the Phantom of the Opera Appreciation Society voted him their favourite Phantom. Karrie was brought up in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, where he had radio and television shows on BBC Wales. He began his career as the lead singer of pop group ''Peter and the Wolves'', and went on to star in several West End musical productions, including ''

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 origin ...

'' and ''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

''. He also played Daddy Warbucks in ''

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

'', Fagin in '' Oliver!'' and Tevye in '' Fiddler on the Roof'' for

Aberystwyth Arts Centre Aberystwyth Arts Centre (Welsh: ''Canolfan y Celfyddydau Aberystwyth'') is an arts centre in Wales, located on Aberystwyth University's Penglais campus. One of the largest in Wales, it comprises a theatre (312 seats), concert hall (900 seats), s ...

. In 2005 he starred with Shan Côthi in the

Mal Pope Maldwyn "Mal" Pope (born 18 May 1960) is a Welsh musician and composer, who is notable for his contribution to music theatre portraying Welsh national identities and themes. He lives in the village of Mumbles, Swansea. He is best known for singi ...

musical ''

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

'' at the

Wales Millennium Centre Wales Millennium Centre ( cy, Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru) is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 an ...

for the Wales Theatre Company. He performed alongside John Owen Jones and Nic Greenshields in the one-off ''Three Phantoms'' concert in aid of George Thomas Hospice Care. He also created roles in three

Bernard J. Taylor Bernard J. Taylor is a writer and composer of musicals and stage plays. His stage works have been produced around the world and translated into German, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian, Spanish and Italian. He is also the writer of 14 novels and thre ...

musicals, and the title role of ''Nosferatu'' was written for him. In 2012 he appeared in the 33rd edition of The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

, Canada, where he and Brenna Conrad performed a Cole Porter tribute and a rendition of ''Phantom of the Opera''. Married with six children, Karrie is an ambassador for Bobath Children's Therapy Centre Wales, a registered charity based in Cardiff which provides specialist Bobath therapy to children from Wales who have cerebral palsy. In 2013 he resigned his honorary fellowship at Aberystwyth University in protest, he said, at its apparent determination to "ruin one of the finest arts centres in the country", and because he was "unable to support any regime that can treat their staff in such a cruel and appalling manner." In conjunction with The Blaenavon Workmen's Hall, one of the finest remaining mining institute's in South East Wales, Peter has written and will produce and perform in a new Pantomime within the hall's 350-seat Theatre in December 2017. Peter's version of "Puss in Boots" will feature both professional and local amateur performers selected from his musical theatre drama school – The Blaenavon Academy of Arts.

Solo albums

*''Theatrically Yours'' *''Peter Karrie Unmasked'' *''The Impossible Dream'' *''On The Other Side Of Love'' *''Standing Alone''

Cast recordings

*''Pride and Prejudice'' *''Nosferatu: the Vampire'' *''Amazing Grace'' *''Contender'' *''Much Ado''

References

External links

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/peter-karrie/ *
IMDB profile of Peter Karrie
* http://castalbums.org/people/Peter-Karrie/8558 * https://web.archive.org/web/20140503014752/http://www.rasputinripplestorevolution.co.uk/ A Musical by Peter Karrie {{DEFAULTSORT:Karrie Welsh male singers Welsh male musical theatre actors Welsh people of Greek descent 1946 births Living people