Anna O'Byrne (born 20 September 1987 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian actress and soprano singer best known for her portrayal of Christine Daaé 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 theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...

's ''The Phantom of the Opera'' and the original Australian production of Lloyd Webber's sequel, ''Love Never Dies'', for which she was nominated for a Green Room Award. O'Byrne has also portrayed Maria in ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'', as well as Sister Sarah Brown in ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

''. From 2016, O'Byrne has played Eliza Doolittle in the

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

-directed production of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

'' for Opera Australia at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

, touring in 2017 to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, and back to Sydney. Her performance career includes opera, theatre, concert, and film.

Early life and education

Anna O'Byrne was born in

, Australia, and was educated at Elwood Primary School and St Michael's Grammar School. She played violin from the age of 5, and performed in school orchestras and sang with the Australian Girls Choir. As a 17-year-old, she won the best Junior Female Performer in the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Awards for her role as Mrs Lovett in ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–1847). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

''. She later studied at the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

and was awarded a Bachelor of Music Performance (Honours).

Theatre

Two weeks after graduating, O'Byrne was recruited to the Australasian tour of

's ''

The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera may refer to: Novel * The Phantom of the Opera (novel), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (novel), 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux Characters * Erik (The Phantom of the Opera), Erik (''The Phantom of the Opera''), the title char ...

,'' covering the role of Christine Daaé. She performed in the role opposite Anthony Warlow as the Phantom and Alexander Lewis as Raoul during 2009 in Perth and Adelaide. She became a principal artist at

Victorian Opera Victorian Opera is an opera company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company was founded in 2005 by the Victorian Government as a replacement for the Victoria State Opera. It commenced operations in January 2006 with Richard Gill a ...

, singing Polly Peachum in ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François V ...

'' co-production with the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, and Pamina in ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

''. O'Byrne was chosen by

to create the role of Christine Daaé in the new Australian production of '' Love Never Dies'', his sequel to ''

''. She performed with Ben Lewis as the Phantom and Simon Gleeson as Raoul. This Simon Phillips-directed production premiered at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne on 21 May 2011 and ran until December. With Ben Lewis and cast members, She sang at Melbourne's '' Carols by Candlelight'' at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in December 2011. Regarded as the definitive production of this musical, '' Love Never Dies'' was filmed and released in cinemas internationally by Universal Pictures. The DVD and Blu-Ray release debuted at #1 on the international music charts, and #4 on the overall charts. '' Love Never Dies'' subsequently transferred to the Capitol Theatre in Sydney in 2012. O'Byrne was nominated for Sydney Theatre and

Green Room In show business, the green room is the space in a theatre, or a similar venue, that functions as a waiting room and lounge for Performing arts, performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on Stage (thea ...

awards for her portrayal of Christine. In April, she joined

Ruthie Henshall Valentine Ruth Henshall (born 7 March 1967), known professionally as Ruthie Henshall, is an English actress, singer and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre. She began her professional stage career in 1986, before making her West End d ...

and others in '' Side By Side By Sondheim'', a musical revue showcasing the work of composer

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

performed at the Theatre Royal, Sydney. Following ''Love Never Dies'', O'Byrne made her West End debut on 3 September 2012 as Christine Daaé in ''

'' opposite Marcus Lovett in the flagship production of the show at

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

, London. In 2013, she played Anne Egerman in Alex Parker's production of '' A Little Night Music'' with Janie Dee and Joanna Riding at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre at Guildford. She then created the role of Jenny Lind in

Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "t ...

's '' Barnum'' at the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

. The rehearsal process was featured in the documentary '' The Sound of Musicals'' on Channel 4. Anna then returned to the West End in Robert Allan Ackerman's '' Strangers on a Train'' at the

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 994 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...

. She was invited to sing

's ''Pie Jesu'' at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

at the Memorial Service for Sir David Frost on 13 March 2014. The service was attended by

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, the

Duchess of Cornwall The Duchess of Cornwall is a title held by the wife of the heir apparent to the British throne. The Duchess of Cornwall is usually also the Princess of Wales, and she uses that title. The current title-holder is Catherine, Princess of Wales, Ca ...

and other dignitaries. A month later, she was the first actress to perform in Russia as Christine Daaé in ''

'', in a special performance with John Owen-Jones as The Phantom, broadcast nationally from the

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈat(ə)r, t=Grand Theater) is a historic opera house in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. Before the October Revolutio ...

as part of the Golden Mask Awards. In January 2015, she reprised the role of Anne Egerman in Alex Parker's production of '' A Little Night Music'' with Janie Dee and Joanna Riding at the Palace Theatre as part of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations. She then debuted with

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...

in their production of ''

'', starring

Bryn Terfel Bryn Terfel Jones (; born 9 November 1965), is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially primarily associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and ''Don Giovanni,'' but he has subsequ ...

and

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Emma Thompson on screen and stage, Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Emma Thompson, her accola ...

. Returning to her hometown Melbourne, Australia in July 2015, she performed the role of Maria in a sell-out season of ''

'' at the State Theatre for

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. It was launched in 1999 by Jeanne Pratt AC with the goal of providing "professional o ...

. For this performance, she was nominated for a Green Room Award for Best Female Actor in a Leading Role. Later that year in Sydney, she appeared with David Campbell in the Hayes Theatre's ''An Evening With…'' cabaret, alongside Judi Connelli, John Diedrich, Amy Lehpamer, James Millar and Alex Rathgeber. In November 2015 she returned to the West End in Alex Parker's ''Kings of Broadway'' at the Palace Theatre. She joined the UK tour of ''

'' playing Sarah Brown opposite Louise Dearman and Richard Fleeshman from March to July 2016. Returning to Australia, she was chosen by director Dame Julie Andrews to play the iconic role of

Eliza Doolittle Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play '' Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''. Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower seller, who comes to Prof ...

in the 60th anniversary ''

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

/Gordon Frost co-production at the

. The show opened in September 2016 and ran until November, breaking the box office record for the

, with more tickets sold than any other production in the Opera House's 43 years. ''

'' also featured Alex Jennings as Henry Higgins,

Robyn Nevin Robyn Anne Nevin (25 September 1942) is an Australian actress recognised with the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards and the JC Williamson Award at the Helpmann Awards for her outstanding contributions to Australian theatre performance art. F ...

as Mrs Higgins and

Reg Livermore Reginald Dawson Livermore (born 11 December 1938) is an Australian actor, singer, theatrical performer, designer, director, lyricist and writer and former television presenter. Biography Early life From a young age, Livermore demonstrated an ...

as Alfred P. Doolittle. For this performance, Anna won the Colleen Clifford Memorial Award in the Glugs Theatrical Awards, and was also nominated for the Sydney Theatre Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a musical. O'Byrne returned to London for concerts in December 2016 and January 2017. Anna continued with ''My Fair Lady'' to Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane in March, with Charles Edwards as Henry Higgins, and at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne from 16 May to July 2017. A return Sydney season for ''My Fair Lad]'' followed from August to October 2017 at the Capitol Theatre. For her performance as Eliza Doolittle, she won a Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Musical on 24 July 2017. She was also nominated for a Green Room Award. She returned to the London stage from November 2017 to February 2018 as Laura Fairlie in

's The Woman in White at the Charing Cross Theatre. She joined

Ramin Karimloo Ramin Karimloo (; ; born ) is a Canadian actor, singer, and songwriter known for his work on the West End theatre, West End and Broadway theatre, Broadway theatre. He has played the leading roles in both of the West End's longest running musica ...

's Australasian tour in May and June 2018, as well as appearing as Laurey Williams in

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

alongside Simon Gleeson, Elise McCann and Bobby Fox in Melbourne. Back in London, she appeared in a workshop version of ''Unmasked'', a not-so-reverent musical retrospective celebrating Andrew Lloyd-Webber's 70th birthday. In 2022, O'Byrne premiered her first solo show, ''Becoming Eliza'', at

. The concert evening explores her time in ''My Fair Lady'' and features songs from Julie Andrews' movies and musicals. Later that year, she played Mollie Ralston in the 70th anniversary Australian tour of ''

The Mousetrap ''The Mousetrap'' is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The play opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemi ...

'', directed by

. ''The Mousetrap'' premiered at the Theatre Royal, Sydney, travelling in 2023 to Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra, and Brisbane before returning to Sydney. Early in 2023, O'Byrne sang with John Owen-Jones in The Voices of the West End, a series of concerts at the Bunkamura Concert Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Film

* '' Love Never Dies (2011)'' playing the role of Christine Daaé; by

and

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

Recordings

* ''Dream (2016)''; album by Anna O'Byrne, Musical Director Guy Simpson, Producer Alex Parker.

Theatre credits

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OByrne, Anna Living people Australian musical theatre actresses Helpmann Award winners 1987 births Victorian College of the Arts alumni Musicians from Melbourne People educated at St Michael's Grammar School 21st-century Australian actresses