Guest Artists
John Owen-Jones
John Owen-Jones is a record-breaking West End and Broadway actor and singer best known for his performances as “Jean Valjean” in Les Misérables and as “The Phantom” in The Phantom of the Opera. John remains the youngest actor in West End history to have played Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (a role he also played twice on Broadway) and has performed as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera nearly 2000 times.
He made his West End debut at the Palace Theatre in 1995 when he first joined the cast of Les Misérables and has been closely associated with the show ever since, appearing in every London theatre in which the show has played, including the show’s original London home, the Barbican Theatre in 2010. In an online poll, John was voted the “Best Ever Valjean” and “Best Ever Performer in Les Misérables” by fans of the show and has appeared in special finales for the Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera 25th anniversary performances at the O2 and Royal Albert Hall — both of which were screened to millions of people in cinemas worldwide. His re-interpretation of the character on the re-imagined version of the show in 2010 on the Les Misérables 25th Anniversary International Tour (which included a brief run at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris) earned him a Manchester Evening News Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a WhatsOnStage Award Best Actor in a Musical nomination. John can be heard singing the role of Jean Valjean on the 2010 Les Misérables Live! Album and in 2019 he returned to play “Jean Valjean” in the Les Misérables All Star Concert at the Gielgud Theatre London.
John was named one of the Top 10 musical theatre actors in Britain by The Stage newspaper and in a poll of BBC Radio Wales listeners to find the “Greatest Living Welsh Voice”, he came third – beating legendary Welsh singers Bryn Terfel, Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones. This led to John realising a lifelong dream when he sang the Wales and England national anthems on the pitch for the Wales v England Six Nations Rugby game.
In 2022, John created leading roles in three brand new musicals: “Uncle Jack” in a concept musical recording of Kisses on a Postcard by Terrence and Dominic Frisby; “Lorenzo” in a fully staged concert version of new Australian musical Mimma at Cadogan Hall London; and “Phil Hollinghurst”, in Great British Bake Off – The Musical by Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary at Cheltenham Everyman Theatre, which earned him another WhatsOnStage Award Best Actor in a Musical nomination. In early 2023, the production transferred to the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End for a limited run and released an official cast recording. In the summer of 2023 John returned to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre to appear as “Deputy Eduard Dindon” in a critically acclaimed revival of La Cage Aux Folles and ended the year with an appearance in a major revival of Stephen Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To The Forum as “Miles Gloriosus” which ran at the brand new Lido2 Theatre on the Champs Elysees in Paris.
Elsewhere, John has performed extensively in theatre in the West End, around the UK and overseas in shows such as Sweeney Todd for the English National Opera, Showboat at the Royal Albert Hall, A Little Night Music at the National Theatre, The Pirates of Penzance and Much Ado About Nothing at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, The Phantom of the Opera at Orb Theatre, Tokyo and appeared in the world premiere of brand-new musical Tiger Bay (in a role written especially for him) at Cape Town Opera.
He has appeared as an actor on television in shows such as Scott and Bailey, The Bill and Toast of Tinseltown and has appeared as himself many times on television and radio in shows such as This Morning, The Royal Variety Show, The National Lottery Big Night of Musicals and has guested many times on Friday Night is Music Night on BBC Radio 2. He is an accomplished concert performer, playing many solo headline shows around the UK and abroad and has appeared in concert globally in legendary venues such as The Royal Albert Hall in London, Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Sydney Opera House and New York’s Carnegie Hall. In 2022, he completed his first ever UK solo concert tour culminating with a sellout show in the West End at Her Majesty’s Theatre. He has appeared twice at the BBC Proms in the Park concerts, twice on The Royal Variety Show, toured the UK in concert with Katherine Jenkins and has been a special guest in concert with Collabro, Michael Ball, Alfie Boe and Bryn Terfel. He has performed leading roles in staged concert versions of The Hired Man, Sweeney Todd, South Pacific, and new musical The Clockmaker’s Daughter. He has also worked as a director, radio presenter and voiceover artist.
John hosts a popular theatrical comedy podcast with fellow performer Alistair Brammer called “The Last Show on Earth” which asks celebrity guests that all important question – if you only had one day left to live what show would you like to see? – with new episodes released monthly.
John runs his own record label JOJ Music and has released seven solo albums which he also produced. ‘Hallelujah’ EP (2006) ‘John Owen-Jones’ (2009), ‘Unmasked’ (2011) ‘Rise’ (2015) ‘Bring Him Home’ – a compilation album (2017) ‘Spotlight’ – featuring The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (2019), and ‘The Christmas Album’ (2021). He is currently working on a new album for release during the second half of 2024.
www.johnowenjones.com
