John Reed (actor)

John Reed is an English baritone singer and actor, known for his performances in the comic leads of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

Related Topics:
English - Baritone - Actor - Gilbert and Sullivan - Operetta

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Reed was born in February 1916 in Bishop Auckland, and he joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1951 as the understudy to Peter Pratt, who was then the comic baritone of the group. His first leads were minor roles in operettas such as The Gondoliers and Cox and Box.

Related Topics:
February - 1916 - Bishop Auckland - D'Oyly Carte Opera Company - 1951 - Peter Pratt - The Gondoliers - Cox and Box

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His real career began in 1959, when Pratt retired and Reed became the principal comic in the company. His roles were numerous: Bunthorne in Patience, Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore, Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance, Ko-Ko in The Mikado, the Duke of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers, John Wellington Wells in The Sorcerer, the Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe, Robin Oakapple in Ruddigore, Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard and King Gama in Princess Ida; he had played the remaining patter role, the Judge in Trial by Jury, before his promotion. He also played Scaphio in Utopia, Limited and Duke Rudolph in The Grand Duke for the D'Oyly Carte's centenery celebrations; the company had not performed these works since the original productions.

Related Topics:
1959 - Patience - H.M.S. Pinafore - The Pirates of Penzance - The Mikado - The Gondoliers - The Sorcerer - Iolanthe - Ruddigore - The Yeomen of the Guard - Princess Ida - Trial by Jury - Utopia, Limited - The Grand Duke

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Though he left the company in the late 1970s, Reed continued to perform Gilbert and Sullivan for the rest of his career. He appeared numerous times with D'Oyly Carte after his retirement, including their "last night" concert. Reed also spent some time in the 1980s with the CU Opera Company in Boulder, Colorado.

Related Topics:
1970s - 1980s - Boulder, Colorado

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John Reed recorded all of his major roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for Decca Records; these recordings are still available. A collection of his patter songs has recently been re-released on CD and is available in the UK from Musical Collectables, Ltd. He also appeared in videos of H.M.S. Pinafore and The Mikado as Sir Joseph Porter and Ko-Ko, respectively.

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