Kevin Wallace
Encyclopedia
Kevin Gerard Wallace was in-house producer with Andrew Lloyd Webber
's Really Useful Group
(RUG) for eight years, where he was responsible for Celebration, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 50th Birthday Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
starring Glenn Close
, Antonio Banderas
, Sarah Brightman
and Elaine Paige
, Whistle Down the Wind
(Aldwych Theatre
), which featured "No Matter What
", the hit single recorded by Boyzone
that sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone , The Beautiful Game
(Cambridge Theatre
), winner, Best Musical, in the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2000 and Closer to Heaven
(Arts Theatre
), with music and lyrics by The Pet Shop Boys
and starring Frances Barber
. He also established productions of The Phantom of the Opera
in Switzerland, Belgium, Mexico and Denmark; a US tour of Cats
; the original production of Sunset Boulevard
, directed by Trevor Nunn, in Germany, and produced the new production of Sunset Boulevard
, directed by Robert Carsen and starring Faith Brown
. Kevin produced the UK tour of Jesus Christ Superstar
and won an International Emmy Award in 2001 as Executive Producer of the film based on that production.
Before joining RUG, he produced The Emperor Jones
(Offstage Downstairs), Our Town
(Shaftesbury Theatre) starring Alan Alda
and Robert Sean Leonard
with Jonny Lee Miller
in his first West End role, and Tim Luscombe's Eurovision starring Anita Dobson
and James Dreyfus
. In January 2002 he re-established Kevin Wallace Limited (KWL), to produce musicals and plays. During 2002, KWL presented the multi-award winning Traverse Theatre/Royal National Theatre
production of Gregory Burke
's Gagarin Way (Arts Theatre
), directed by John Tiffany and the Abbey Theatre Dublin production of Eden by Eugene O'Brien (also at the Arts). Directed by Conor McPherson, Eden won both the Irish Times/ESB Award and the Stewart Parker Award for Best New Play.
Most recently Kevin Wallace, with Saul Zaentz
, produced The Lord of the Rings directed by Matthew Warchus
, with music by A. R. Rahman
, Värttinä
and Christopher Nightingale. The Lord of the Rings
played in Toronto
(Princess of Wales Theatre), where the show was nominated for 15 Dora Awards, winning 7, including "Outstanding New Musical" and awards for direction (Matthew Warchus
), costume design (Rob Howell) and choreography (Peter Darling
) and in London
(Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
), where it was nominated for 7 Whatsonstage Theatregoer's Choice Awards in 2007 and 5 Olivier Awards in 2008.
The National Geographic Channel
produced a 50 minute television programme as part of their INSIDE series that followed The Lord of the Rings London production from the first day of rehearsals to the first performance. Since July 2007 the programme has aired on international National Geographic channels in over 30 countries, and on PBS in the United States.
Kevin Wallace productions outside London’s West End are produced and presented by FIRST ACT! Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kevin Wallace Limited. In 2009 FIRST ACT! Limited produced the Christmas season of Stuart Wood's music hall musical, Frank's Closet starring Russell Whitehead and Gary Amers, at the historic Hoxton Hall in London's East End.
In 2012, Kevin Wallace for FIRST ACT! Limited will co-produce the new musical, Loserville, by Elliot Davis
and James Bourne
, with West Yorkshire Playhouse
and Youth Music Theatre UK at The Quarry Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse
, Leeds, with performances from 16 June until 14 July 2012. http://www.loservillemusical.tv.
Kevin Wallace also worked as a stage and television actor in his native Ireland
and in Britain
, with the Abbey Theatre
, the Royal Shakespeare Company
(RSC), Bristol Old Vic
, The Liverpool Everyman, Oxford Playhouse, Yorkshire Television
and the BBC
.
In September 2011, Kevin Wallace was made a Fellow of Rose Bruford College
of Theatre and Performance.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's Really Useful Group
Really Useful Group
The Really Useful Group Ltd. is an international company set up in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is involved in theatre, film, television, video and concert productions, merchandising, magazine publishing, records and music publishing...
(RUG) for eight years, where he was responsible for Celebration, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 50th Birthday Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
starring Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
, Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
, Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
and Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16...
, Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind (musical)
Whistle Down the Wind is a musical based on the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Jim Steinman, known for his work with Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler.-Stage Premiere:...
(Aldwych Theatre
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. The theatre was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200.-Origins:...
), which featured "No Matter What
No Matter What (Boyzone song)
"No Matter What" is a song from the 1996 musical Whistle Down the Wind, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman and popularized by the group Boyzone. The song reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart, and was the only Boyzone hit to become popular in the U.S. Jewels & Stone did a remix for the...
", the hit single recorded by Boyzone
Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
that sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone , The Beautiful Game
The Beautiful Game (musical)
The Beautiful Game is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton about a group of teenagers growing up amid religious intolerance in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1969....
(Cambridge Theatre
Cambridge Theatre
The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929-30. It was designed by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie; interior partly by Serge Chermayeff, with interior bronze friezes by sculptor Anthony Gibbons...
), winner, Best Musical, in the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2000 and Closer to Heaven
Closer to Heaven
Closer to Heaven is a musical by Jonathan Harvey and Pet Shop Boys. It was premiered in May 2001 at the Arts Theatre in London, opening to mixed reviews, and ran until 13 October 2001...
(Arts Theatre
Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It now operates as the West End's smallest commercial receiving house.-History:...
), with music and lyrics by The Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
and starring Frances Barber
Frances Barber
Frances Barber is an Olivier Award-nominated English actress with a long and distinguished stage career. She has also appeared in numerous television productions...
. He also established productions of The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
in Switzerland, Belgium, Mexico and Denmark; a US tour of Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
; the original production of Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard (musical)
Sunset Boulevard is a musical with book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based on the 1950 film of the same title, the plot revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the...
, directed by Trevor Nunn, in Germany, and produced the new production of Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard (musical)
Sunset Boulevard is a musical with book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based on the 1950 film of the same title, the plot revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the...
, directed by Robert Carsen and starring Faith Brown
Faith Brown
Faith Brown is an English actress, singer, comedienne and impressionist.-Background and Early Career:Born as Eunice Irene Carroll, Faith Brown began her career as a singer at the age of fifteen, backed by a local group. She later became the resident cabaret singer in Liverpool's Rialto Ballroom...
. Kevin produced the UK tour of Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
and won an International Emmy Award in 2001 as Executive Producer of the film based on that production.
Before joining RUG, he produced The Emperor Jones
The Emperor Jones
The Emperor Jones is a 1920 play by American dramatist Eugene O'Neill which tells the tale of Brutus Jones, an African-American man who kills a man, goes to prison, escapes to a Caribbean island, and sets himself up as emperor...
(Offstage Downstairs), Our Town
Our Town
Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...
(Shaftesbury Theatre) starring Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
and Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor, who has regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2004 he has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House...
with Jonny Lee Miller
Jonny Lee Miller
Jonathan "Jonny" Lee Miller is an English actor. During the initial days he was best known for his roles in the 1996 films Trainspotting and Hackers...
in his first West End role, and Tim Luscombe's Eurovision starring Anita Dobson
Anita Dobson
Anita Dobson is an English television actress and singer. She gained her highest profile while playing Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...
and James Dreyfus
James Dreyfus
- Early life and career :Born in London, Dreyfus was educated at Harrow School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His parents divorced when he was very young. He is openly gay....
. In January 2002 he re-established Kevin Wallace Limited (KWL), to produce musicals and plays. During 2002, KWL presented the multi-award winning Traverse Theatre/Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
production of Gregory Burke
Gregory Burke
Gregory Burke is a Scottish playwright from Rosyth, Fife, Scotland.-Life:His family moved to Gibraltar in 1979 and returned to Dunfermline in 1984. He attended St John's Primary in Rosyth, St Christopher's Middle School in Gibraltar, Bayside Comprehensive, Gibraltar and St Columba's High School,...
's Gagarin Way (Arts Theatre
Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It now operates as the West End's smallest commercial receiving house.-History:...
), directed by John Tiffany and the Abbey Theatre Dublin production of Eden by Eugene O'Brien (also at the Arts). Directed by Conor McPherson, Eden won both the Irish Times/ESB Award and the Stewart Parker Award for Best New Play.
Most recently Kevin Wallace, with Saul Zaentz
Saul Zaentz
Saul Zaentz is an American film producer and former record company executive. He has won the Academy Award for Best Picture three times and in 1996 was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award....
, produced The Lord of the Rings directed by Matthew Warchus
Matthew Warchus
-Life:Warchus studied music and drama at Bristol University. He has directed for the National Youth Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre, Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera and in the West...
, with music by A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
, Värttinä
Värttinä
Värttinä is a Finnish folk music band which was started as a project by Sari and Mari Kaasinen back in 1983 in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, the southeastern region of Finland. Many transformations have taken place in the band since then...
and Christopher Nightingale. The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
played in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(Princess of Wales Theatre), where the show was nominated for 15 Dora Awards, winning 7, including "Outstanding New Musical" and awards for direction (Matthew Warchus
Matthew Warchus
-Life:Warchus studied music and drama at Bristol University. He has directed for the National Youth Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre, Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera and in the West...
), costume design (Rob Howell) and choreography (Peter Darling
Peter Darling
Peter Darling is an English dancer and choreographer best known for his award-winning work in Billy Elliot the Musical.-External links:...
) and in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
), where it was nominated for 7 Whatsonstage Theatregoer's Choice Awards in 2007 and 5 Olivier Awards in 2008.
The National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
produced a 50 minute television programme as part of their INSIDE series that followed The Lord of the Rings London production from the first day of rehearsals to the first performance. Since July 2007 the programme has aired on international National Geographic channels in over 30 countries, and on PBS in the United States.
Kevin Wallace productions outside London’s West End are produced and presented by FIRST ACT! Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kevin Wallace Limited. In 2009 FIRST ACT! Limited produced the Christmas season of Stuart Wood's music hall musical, Frank's Closet starring Russell Whitehead and Gary Amers, at the historic Hoxton Hall in London's East End.
In 2012, Kevin Wallace for FIRST ACT! Limited will co-produce the new musical, Loserville, by Elliot Davis
Elliot Davis
Elliot Davis is a British composer, musician and music documentary maker.- Biography :Davis started his career transcribing musical ideas for Lionel Bart. He then went on to work in the West End of London in a musical capacity on Miss Saigon, Cats, Les Misérables, Blood Brothers and Jesus Christ...
and James Bourne
James Bourne
James Elliot Bourne is an English singer-songwriter and co-founder of pop bands Son of Dork and Busted. He is currently pursuing a solo career under the name Future Boy. His albums have sold over six million copies...
, with West Yorkshire Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
and Youth Music Theatre UK at The Quarry Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
, Leeds, with performances from 16 June until 14 July 2012. http://www.loservillemusical.tv.
Kevin Wallace also worked as a stage and television actor in his native Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with the Abbey Theatre
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
, the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
(RSC), Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
, The Liverpool Everyman, Oxford Playhouse, Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In September 2011, Kevin Wallace was made a Fellow of Rose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance is a British drama school, offering university-level and professional vocational training for theatre and performance and the BA and MA degrees, based in Sidcup, Southeast London.-History:Founded in 1950, Rose Bruford "pioneered the first acting degree...
of Theatre and Performance.