Robert John Guest OBE (17 July 1950 – 1 October 2008) was a New Zealand-Australian actor, television personality and host and singer, who started his career in pop music in New Zealand, before becoming best known for his work in Australian musical theatre, particularly in various productions of The Phantom of the Opera. He played the lead for a record-breaking 2,289 performances over seven years, more than any other performer.[1]
Rob Guest | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert John Guest 17 July 1950 Birmingham, Warwickshire, England |
| Died | 1 October 2008 (aged 58) |
| Resting place | Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse(s) | Judy Guest (married, 1994 - 2002 separated) Lynette Perry (divorced) |
| Partner | Kellie Dickerson |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Benny Award (1993) Korean Song Festival Best Male Vocalist New Zealand Performer of the Year (1979) New Zealand Male Theatrical Performer of the Year (1988) |
Biography
editGuest was born in Birmingham, England. He moved to New Zealand with his family when he was 13, and later moved to Canada where he was in a band called The Apparition. The family returned to New Zealand and in 1968 Guest joined the band The Shore Thing who relaunched in 1969 as the Apparition. In 1970 Guest joined The In-Betweens as their vocalist. He signed with Polydor records in 1972 and released his debut single "House of Cards" written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue.
Guest appeared on the New Zealand radio charts and starred for many years on television shows including Happen Inn.[1] He also appeared in the Hamilton Operatic Society's productions of Half a Sixpence and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He won his first lead at age 22 in The Jesus Christ Revolution (which was presented as Man of Sorrows in New Zealand and which predated Jesus Christ Superstar). After performing his hit songs all around the world, Guest won the 1978 Korean Song Festival Best Male Vocalist trophy, recorded a special for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and was voted the 1979 New Zealand 'Professional Performer of the Year'.
In 1981 Guest moved to the United States with his first wife, Lynette Perry, where he spent most of the 1980s performing and hosting shows in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe.[1] In 1985 Guest won the FIDOF Award in Los Angeles for his performance at the World Song Festival. He returned to New Zealand, opened a photographic studio, while continuing to moonlight as a performer. In 1988, he was named New Zealand's male theatrical performer of the year.
Guest moved to Australia after he was cast as Jean Valjean in the Australian production of Les Misérables, following Normie Rowe's portrayal, and spent three-and-a-half years touring Australia and New Zealand in the role; Guest also received a Green Room Award for Best Male Performer in a Leading Role.[2] Guest then followed Anthony Warlow in the title role in The Phantom of the Opera from December 1991 to September 1998.
Guest was the world's longest-serving Phantom, having played the role a record 2,289 performances over seven years in front of Australian and New Zealand audiences.[1]
During this time in 1994 he also hosted the Australian version of German game show Man O Man.
In 1995, Guest was invited as one of the seventeen Jean Valjeans from around the world to perform the encore of the Les Misérables 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He later reprised the role of Valjean in 1998–99 for the Australasian 10th-anniversary production.[1]
In 1993 Guest received the Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc, the highest honour available to a New Zealand variety entertainer.[3]
In the 1994 New Zealand New Year Honours, Guest was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to entertainment.[4] His first marriage had ended in divorce, and in 1994 he married the singer Judy Barnes. They had two children, but separated in 2001.
Following his work in The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables, Guest performed in a number of other high-profile theatre roles, including Al Jolson in Jolson, Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Rev Shaw Moore(baritone) in Footloose, and Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man.[1] Guest performed numerous gala performances both in Australia and internationally, twice hosting Carols in the Domain, and also releasing four gold-selling albums.
Death
edit
On the evening of 30 September 2008, Guest was taken to St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, after suffering a stroke.[5] He died on the morning of 1 October 2008[6] with his partner Kellie Dickerson, Judy Barnes and their children Christopher and Amy and best friend Greg Smart by his side.[7] At the time of his death, Guest was appearing as the Wizard of Oz in the Australian premiere production of the hit Broadway musical Wicked, which had opened in Melbourne in July 2008. Kellie Dickerson was the show's musical director at the time. A public memorial was held for Guest at the Regent Theatre on 13 October 2008, featuring speeches and musical performances by his friends and co-stars from various shows. Bert Newton was brought in as his replacement in Wicked, six weeks following his death.
Guest was buried at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, Macquarie Park, New South Wales.
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [8] | ||
| Dedication |
|
- |
| Standing Ovation |
|
56 |
| Unmasked |
|
93 |
| The Magic of Christmas |
|
- |
Performances
edit- Jekyll & Hyde as Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde
- Jesus Christ Superstar as Jesus Christ
- Jolson as Al Jolson
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as Joseph
- Les Misérables as Jean Valjean
- Pippin as Pippin
- The Music Man as Harold Hill
- The Phantom of the Opera as The Phantom of the Opera
- The Sound of Music as Captain Von Trapp
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as Sweeney Todd
- Wicked as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Guest died whilst performing in Wicked
Honours and awards
edit- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), 31 December 1993[4]
- Entertainer of the Year[9]
- Recording Artist of the Year[9]
- Theatrical Performer of the Year[9]
- Benny Award Winner from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc[9][10]
- Shure Gold Microphone Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc[9]
- Green Room Awards – Best Male Theatrical Performer – Jean Valjean[9]
- Best Performance Award – Los Angeles – Los Angeles Song Festival[9]
- F.I.D.O.F Award. Seoul Korea[9]
- Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Wicked
The Rob Guest Endowment
editIn recognition of Guest's achievements in the musical theatre industry, ANZ Trustees established a memorial fund in his honour to help emerging young performers in musical theatre. The Rob Guest Endowment is awarded each year to an emerging musical theatre performer selected by a panel of industry experts. The award will provide the emerging performer with further knowledge and training in the industry to develop their potential. 2009 saw the Endowment created, the competition launched and the inaugural concert staged at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne. Recipients of the endowment have been Danielle Matthews (2009), Francine Cain (2010), Blake Bowden (2011), Glen Hill (2012), Samantha Leigh Dodemaide (2013) and Josh Robson (2014). 2014 saw the inclusion of two more awards, each offering a prize of $10,000.[11] The Sue Natrass Award, won by Isabelle Stadler in 2014 for a member of a musical theatre technical team. The Brian Stacey Award for a musician currently working in the field of musical theatre was won by Isaac Hayward.[12]
| Date | Gala Concert Venue | Host | Judges | Award | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne | The Rob Guest Endowment | Danielle Matthews | ||
| 2010 | The Rob Guest Endowment | Francine Cain | |||
| 2011 | The Rob Guest Endowment | Blake Bowden | |||
| 19 November 2012[13] | Her Majesty's Theatre Melbourne | Bert Newtown, Rob Mills and Lucy Durack | Kellie Dickerson, Guy Simpson, Jason Coleman and Stuart Maunder | The Rob Guest Endowment | Glen Hill |
| 25 November 2013[14] | Lyric Theatre, Sydney | Bert Newton | Jason Coleman, Kellie Dickerson, Stuart Maunder and Stephen Oremus | The Rob Guest Endowment | Samantha Leigh Dodemaide |
| 2014 | Capitol Theatre Sydney | Bert Newton and Lucy Durack | Todd McKenney, Stuart Maunder and Guy Simpson | The Rob Guest Endowment | Josh Robson |
| The Sue Natrass Award | Isabelle Stadler | ||||
| The Brian Stacey Award | Isaac Hayward | ||||
| The Playbill Future Prospect Award | Daniel Assetta | ||||
| 9 November 2015[15] | Lyric Theatre, Sydney | David Campbell and Lucy Durack | Kelley Abbey, Peter Casey and Gale Edwards | The Rob Guest Endowment | Daniel Assetta |
| The Sue Natrass Award | Drew Cipollone | ||||
| The Brian Stacey Award | Jack Drew | ||||
| The Playbill Future Prospect Award | Rubin Matters | ||||
| The Melbourne East End Theatre District Artist Development Award | Robert McDougall | ||||
| 14 November 2016[16] | Lyric Theatre, Sydney | Lucy Durack and Penny McNamee | Kelley Abbey, Andrew Pole, Guy Simpson, Michael James Scott | ||
| The Rob Guest Endowment | Linden Furnell | ||||
| The Sue Natrass Award | Ash Kurrle | ||||
| The Brian Stacey Award | Emma Ford | ||||
| The Playbill Future Prospect Award | Kieran McGrath | ||||
| The Melbourne East End Theatre District Artist Development Award | Genevieve Kingsford |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "ROB GUEST O.B.E. (as The Wizard)". Wickedthemusical.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
- ^ "Latest Theatre News". Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
- ^ "Variety Artists Club of NZ Benny Award Recipients". Archived from the original on 16 October 2013.
- ^ a b "No. 53528". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 31 December 1993. p. 34.
- ^ "Category: | Herald Sun". News.com.au. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ 'Everybody loved him': stars plan tribute to Wicked star Rob Guest, The Age, 2 October 2008. " ... died this morning after suffering a massive stroke."
- ^ "Category: | Herald Sun". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 122.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Undated resume Archived 21 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine (PDF) for Guest, Sherin Richards Management. Retrieved 2009-09-27. The resume does not specify the year or give any further detail.
- ^ "Variety Artists Club of NZ Benny Award Recipients". Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
- ^ David Spicer. "Rob Guest Endowment 2014: New Awards, Call for Entries and Gala Concert Date". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^ David Spicer (15 October 2014). "2014 Rob Guest Endowment Award Winners". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^ "Glenn Hill Wins Rob Guest Endowment 2012". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "The 2013 Rob Guest Endowment Gala Concert". Stylesite. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "2015 Rob Guest Endowment Award Winner Announced". Arts RFeview. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ^ "Linden Furnell wins the Rob Guest Endowment Award". Limelight Magazine. Retrieved 15 November 2016.