Ramin Karimloo and Hadley Fraser Will Perform in Concert in Toronto

Ramin Karimloo and Hadley Fraser will bring their unique kind of concert to the Princess of Wales Theatre in From the Rehearsal Room: Toronto for one night only on Monday, December 15 at 7:30 pm. Filled with some of their favourite songs, many from musicals they have starred in, and the personal stories behind them, From the Rehearsal Room: Toronto is specially created for our city. Ramin and Hadley will be accompanied by the brilliant Theo Jamieson on the piano. 

Ramin Karimloo grew up in Peterborough, Ontario, playing hockey and thinking of studying to be a doctor. One fateful day in 1990, on a class trip, he saw The Phantom at the Opera at the Pantages Theatre (now the CAA Ed Mirvish) and decided this is what he wanted to do with his life. He was only 12 but he set his hopes on someday starring as the Phantom. Seventeen years later, he fulfilled his teenage dream when he starred as the Phantom in the legendary original London production of The Phantom of the Opera. At 29, he was the youngest person to play the part. But before that, in 2002, he made his West End debut as Feuilly in the original London production of Les Misérables. 

Also making his West End debut in that same production was Hadley Fraser, a young British actor. The two became instant friends. "We bonded early in the run and spent a lot of time together between shows,” says Ramin. “Usually over Subway sandwiches while watching episodes of the original UK version of The Office. I quickly became a huge admirer of Hadley’s work, watching him nightly as Marius.”  

Their careers blossomed concurrently. Ramin starred in The Phantom of the Opera not only in London but in many other cities around the world. This led to him starring as the Phantom in the world premiere production of Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. Ramin also returned to Les Misérables several times, starring as Jean Valjean. He performed the role in London and Toronto, and he made his Broadway debut in the role in the reimagined production for which he was nominated for a Tony. Ramin also starred in the gala 25th anniversary concert of Les Misérables at the O2 Arena, in which he played Enjolras, and a few years later in the gala 25th anniversary concert of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, in which he played the title character. Both concerts were filmed and seen by millions worldwide. Among his other theatre credits are Chess, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Miss Saigon. On Broadway he starred as Nick Arnstein in Funny Girl, Gleb Vaganov in Anastasia, and most recently as the Pirate King in Pirates! The Penzance Musical. 

Hadley also starred in both the Les Misérables (as Grantaire) and The Phantom of the Opera (as Raoul) gala 25th anniversary concerts. Among his other West End credits are Javert in Les Misérables (playing Jean Valjean was, of course, Ramin; it was always meant to be), Frederick in Young Frankenstein, Anatoly in Chess, and Archibald in The Secret Garden. He made his Broadway debut as Tiernan in Boublil and Schönberg’s The Pirate Queen. 

Ramin and Hadley's friendship has never wavered. They have always kept in touch, always found time to share music. In 2010 they even formed The Sheytoons, an indie rock band. 

(Full bios of Ramin Karimloo, Hadley Fraser and Theo Jamieson are at the end of this release.) 

The genesis of From the Rehearsal Room was a series of sold-out concerts that Ramin and Hadley were to do in Tokyo in 2021. As part of the Covid protocols in Japan at the time, all visitors to the country had to quarantine for two weeks. But just as Ramin and Hadley arrived in Tokyo, the government changed its policy and cancelled all live performances. In quarantine and not having much to do, they convinced the producer of the Tokyo concerts to pivot and instead produce a video concert in a studio that the audience could watch at home. From the Rehearsal Room was born. After the pandemic, the two began performing the concert whenever time allowed. They performed it at the Savoy Theatre in London and in Trieste, Italy. 

"The beauty of From the Rehearsal Room," explains Ramin, "is that no two shows are ever the same. Hadley and I really embrace spontaneity, whether it’s in our solo concerts, band work, or this format. We have a wide range of material prepared, with much of it being musical theatre based. But each show becomes its own moment in time, shaped by the place and the audience.