Born in Iran and raised in Ontario, Ramin Karimloo has enjoyed a rich career on Broadway, the West End and beyond.Joan Marcus/Roundabout Theatre Company
Ask the musical theatre lover in your life, and they’ll tell you: Ramin Karimloo is the real deal.
Born in Iran and raised in Ontario in Peterborough and Richmond Hill, Karimloo has enjoyed a rich career on Broadway, the West End and beyond. His fans perhaps know him best as the titular ghost from The Phantom of the Opera, or as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables – for years, he’s proved he can carry a musical, even those three-hour, stamina-testing epics.
But Karimloo’s credits extend far beyond blockbusters – this year alone, he played the Pirate King in Pirates! The Penzance Musical on Broadway, plus a stint in Japan, reprising his role as Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opposite familiar scene partner Hadley Fraser.
On Monday evening, Karimloo and Fraser will bring their wealth of experience to Toronto with From the Rehearsal Room, a concert that recalls some of the performers’ favourite memories onstage and behind the scenes. Created in collaboration with pianist, composer and orchestrator Theo Jamieson, the show will take place at the Princess of Wales Theatre – a space Karimloo remembers all too well from his time in Les Misérables.
The Globe and Mail sat down with Karimloo to talk all things musicals – and what sorts of roles might entice him to return to Canada for a long-term stay.
You spent a formative period at the Princess of Wales Theatre, playing Jean Valjean ahead of your Broadway debut in 2014. What do you find yourself thinking about as you get ready to return to that stage?
One of the greatest nights of my life happened at the Princess of Wales. My hero, Colm Wilkinson, turned me on to theatre. He was my Phantom, back in the day. When I heard he was coming in to Les Mis for one night, I assumed I would step aside for him to be Valjean, but no, he was going to be the bishop. I’ll never forget when he handed me the candlesticks, and the rehearsals, and spending all that time with him.
In the performance, when he handed me the candlesticks – I get chills thinking about it. It was such a big moment. And to do that in Canada, where the love of theatre really started for me – it felt like he was giving me a blessing. And to share Bring Him Home with him at the end was just… I’ll never forget it. It was the coolest moment.
Were you a Mirvish kid when you were growing up in Ontario? What about places like the Stratford and Shaw festivals?
I saw so much theatre downtown. I’ve never been to Stratford, funnily enough, but I’d love to work there. I need to spend more time with Canadian artists, and I really like Jonathan Church, who’s about to be the artistic director there. Stratford sounds like an amazing place to spend a few months.
Anyway. I was always downtown growing up. I was constantly going to The Phantom of the Opera, even skipping school to see it. I knew I’d have to serve detention, but in detention they’d just ask me about the show. I loved it.
As a Phantom superfan whose career intersects with the lifespan of the show, have you seen Masquerade, the immersive version of Phantom now playing in New York?
I was just talking about this with a friend. No, I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve heard it’s such a great experience – it sounds incredible. You literally can touch the actor, they’re right in front of you. It’s a whole different way of seeing Phantom. The fan in me is fascinated.
In your last interview with The Globe and Mail, you suggested you might be interested in coming back to Canada for the right show. Has there been any movement on that?
Not yet, but I’m hopeful that I’ll have some time to sit down and talk with the Mirvishes and Michael Rubinoff, for instance. I have a few ideas, but I’d really like to spend a long time in Toronto, and I’d like to work with Canadian artists. I think it’s also really beneficial to work with international audiences – that experience ups everyone’s game – but I want to bring something for Canadian audiences to see, as well.
What can audiences expect in From the Rehearsal Room?
Whenever I do concerts with promoters, they’ll often pull their hair out because I won’t give them a setlist. And I won’t! The moment people know what’s next, they’re less invested. Noel Gallagher once said that people don’t know what they want until they get it, and I think that’s so true. People didn’t know they wanted Jimi Hendrix or The Beatles or Phantom of the Opera or Hamilton until they had it.
That’s a really lovely way to have a conversation with your audience. It’s that spontaneous element. If the Tragically Hip went on tour, it’s not like you’d ask what the setlist is before you go to see them. In From the Rehearsal Room, the audience is just as much a part of the show as we are, and it’s so stripped back. It’s what I’ve loved about creating it with Hadley and Theo.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
From the Rehearsal Room will take place on Monday and recall Karimloo's favourite memories onstage and behind the scenes.Joan Marcus/Roundabout Theatre Company