Jon Robyns
Encyclopedia
Jon Robyns is a British
stage actor, who is perhaps best known for playing the roles of Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q
the musical in London's West End. He left the show in December 2007, and appeared as Marius in the London production of Les Misérables
.
, England. Moving to Bristol
at the age of 10 he became involved with several local theatre and youth music groups. Performing in such varied shows as Purcell's Dido and Aeneas
and Handel's Messiah
to Kander and Ebb's Classic Musical Cabaret. He worked on new material with Playbox Theatre Company performing NEWS and performed two new operas with MusicBox Youth Opera; Fox at the manger and Brundibar.
In 1999 Robyns moved to Cardiff
becoming involved with Welsh National Youth Opera. With WNYO he performed The Beggar's Opera
, The Elixir of Love and Dido and Aeneas (again). Robyns was also part of Black Mountain Male Voice Choir - the official Choir of the 1999 Rugby World Cup
, singing at Wales games and the opening and closing ceremonies at Cardiffs Millennium Stadium. With his friends, Robyns ran a weekly drama group and worked on a production of Berkovs West whilst studying Music, Theatre Studies and Sociology A Level.
During this time Robyns was part of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain singing in venues around the country including Walton's Belshazars Feast at the Millennium Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
in London. During his final year Robyns played Sweeney Todd
in Stephen Sondheim
's masterpiece musical. Other roles at Drama School include Teddy in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, Banquo
in Macbeth
and Jesus in Godspell
.
understudying the role Chris and playing the part on many occasions. After this he played the role of Mark Cohen in Rent
with the English Theatre Frankfurt, Germany. In June 2006 Robyns played the roles of Princeton and Rod in the original London cast of Avenue Q
the musical in London's West End. He left the show in December 2007. Robyns was part of the company for the concert version of Chess
at the Royal Albert Hall
on 12 and 13 May 2008.
Robyns played the role of Marius in Les Misérables
at the Queen's Theatre
until leaving the show on 23 June 2009. He has rejoined the cast of Les Misérables during the 25th Anniversary International Tour of Les Misérables 2010 as Enjolras and is on the live recording Album. Robyns appeared at the O2 Arena on October 3 alongside current/previous cast members from across the world in a 25th Anniversary concert.
In 2008 Robyns recorded a song for the CD Act One - Songs From The Musicals Of Alexander S. Bermange
, an album of 20 brand new recordings by 26 West End stars, released in November 2008 on Dress Circle Records, and recorded the role of robot ThreeSix in a concept album of Laurence Mark Wythe
's musical The Lost Christmas. He has previously recorded material for Whyte and in 2005 appeared in a showcase of one of the composer's musicals at Greenwich Theatre.
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...
stage actor, who is perhaps best known for playing the roles of Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q
Avenue Q
Avenue Q is a musical in two acts, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. The book was written by Jeff Whitty and the show was directed by Jason Moore and produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, and Jeffrey Seller...
the musical in London's West End. He left the show in December 2007, and appeared as Marius in the London production of Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
.
Early life
Robyns grew up in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England. Moving to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
at the age of 10 he became involved with several local theatre and youth music groups. Performing in such varied shows as Purcell's Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London no later than the summer of 1688. The story is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid...
and Handel's Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
to Kander and Ebb's Classic Musical Cabaret. He worked on new material with Playbox Theatre Company performing NEWS and performed two new operas with MusicBox Youth Opera; Fox at the manger and Brundibar.
In 1999 Robyns moved to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
becoming involved with Welsh National Youth Opera. With WNYO he performed The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
, The Elixir of Love and Dido and Aeneas (again). Robyns was also part of Black Mountain Male Voice Choir - the official Choir of the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
, singing at Wales games and the opening and closing ceremonies at Cardiffs Millennium Stadium. With his friends, Robyns ran a weekly drama group and worked on a production of Berkovs West whilst studying Music, Theatre Studies and Sociology A Level.
During this time Robyns was part of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain singing in venues around the country including Walton's Belshazars Feast at the Millennium Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
Training
In 2001 Robyns attended the 3 year Musical Theatre course at Mountview Academy of Theatre ArtsMountview Academy of Theatre Arts
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts is an independent drama school situated in the Wood Green area of North London. It was founded in 1945 by Peter Coxhead and Ralph Nossek as 'The Mountview Theatre Club', an amateur repertory company staging a new production for a six-day run every second week...
in London. During his final year Robyns played Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
in Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's masterpiece musical. Other roles at Drama School include Teddy in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, Banquo
Banquo
Banquo is a character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play Macbeth. In the play, he is at first an ally to Macbeth and they are together when they meet the Three Witches. After prophesying that Macbeth will become king, the witches tell Banquo that he will not be king himself, but that his...
in Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
and Jesus in Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
.
Career
Graduating in 2004 Robyns joined the UK touring company of Miss SaigonMiss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
understudying the role Chris and playing the part on many occasions. After this he played the role of Mark Cohen in Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
with the English Theatre Frankfurt, Germany. In June 2006 Robyns played the roles of Princeton and Rod in the original London cast of Avenue Q
Avenue Q
Avenue Q is a musical in two acts, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. The book was written by Jeff Whitty and the show was directed by Jason Moore and produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, and Jeffrey Seller...
the musical in London's West End. He left the show in December 2007. Robyns was part of the company for the concert version of Chess
Chess (musical)
Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
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....
on 12 and 13 May 2008.
Robyns played the role of Marius in Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
at the Queen's Theatre
Queen's Theatre
The Queen's Theatre is a West End theatre located in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It opened on 8 October 1907 as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R...
until leaving the show on 23 June 2009. He has rejoined the cast of Les Misérables during the 25th Anniversary International Tour of Les Misérables 2010 as Enjolras and is on the live recording Album. Robyns appeared at the O2 Arena on October 3 alongside current/previous cast members from across the world in a 25th Anniversary concert.
In 2008 Robyns recorded a song for the CD Act One - Songs From The Musicals Of Alexander S. Bermange
Alexander S. Bermange
Alexander S. Bermange is an English musical theatre composer and lyricist. He has often served as musical director and pianist for his own productions. He is also a regular broadcaster on UK radio.-Career:...
, an album of 20 brand new recordings by 26 West End stars, released in November 2008 on Dress Circle Records, and recorded the role of robot ThreeSix in a concept album of Laurence Mark Wythe
Laurence Mark Wythe
Laurence Mark Wythe is an award winning English composer, lyricist and writer for West End and Off-Broadway musicals. He is principally known for the off-Broadway musical Tomorrow Morning and Through the Door seen in the West End at the Trafalgar Studios starring Julie Atherton...
's musical The Lost Christmas. He has previously recorded material for Whyte and in 2005 appeared in a showcase of one of the composer's musicals at Greenwich Theatre.