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Nadim Naaman

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Nadim Naaman
Born (1985-08-12) 12 August 1985 (age 39)
Westminster, London, England
Alma mater
Years active2007–present
Children2

Nadim Naaman (born 12 August 1985) is a British actor, singer, playwright, and composer. He is known for his work in musical theatre.

Early life

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Naaman was born in London to a Lebanese father and a British mother who had met in Dubai.[1] Naaman attended Eton College.[2] He took part in choir, and the school's head of drama Simon Dormandy[3] suggested Naaman pursue the performing arts professionally. His father was supportive but suggested he get a university degree first. Naaman graduated from the University of Warwick in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Performance Studies and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Musical Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in 2007.[4]

Career

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Upon completing his diploma, Naaman made his professional stage debut as Jamie Wallerstein in the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival production of the musical The Last Five Years.[5] The following year, he made his West End debut when he took over as Rolf Gruber in The Sound of Music at the London Palladium.[6] Naaman starred as the titular character of James and the Giant Peach at Watermill Theatre in 2009,[7] appeared in Knight Crew at Glyndebourne in 2010, and was in the ensemble of The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre on the West End. He was also the understudy in the latter for Raoul.[8]

After leaving The Phantom of the Opera, Naaman appeared in Thirteen Days at the Arcola Theatre and Marguerite at the Tabard Theatre,[9] and played Anatoly in the Union Theatre production of Chess. Naaman released his debut album of 11 songs he had written over the course of a decade titled We All Want The Same in 2013.[10][11] He subsequently played Charles Clarke in Titanic at Southwark Playhouse and the Princess of Wales Theatre[12] and Anthony in the Tooting Arts Club production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.[13] He was also an understudy for Alan and Alfie in One Man, Two Guvnors.[14]

From 2015 to 2017, Naaman returned to the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera, starring as Viscount Raoul de Chagny.[15] Through the independent record label Auburn Jam Music,[16] Naaman released his second album Sides in 2016, containing a combination of original songs and reinvented covers and featuring artists such as Celinde Schoenmaker, Rob Houchen, and Eva Noblezada.[8] In 2017, he starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber's By Jeeves at the Old Laundry Theatre in Cumbria.[17]

With Dana Al Fardan, Naaman co-wrote and co-composed the musical Broken Wings, based on Lebanese-American writer Kahlil Gibran's 1912 novella of the same name, with Naaman portraying Gibran in the original cast. The musical premiered at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2018[18] and was subsequently showcased at the 2019 Beiteddine Festival, Doha's Katara Opera House, and Dubai Opera in early 2020.[1] Naaman once again collaborated with Al Fardan on Rumi: The Musical, which premiered at the London Coliseum in 2021. Naaman starred as the titular character opposite Ramin Karimloo on the concept album and original cast.[19]

Naaman once again returned to The Phantom of the Opera for its 2023 and 2024 international tour in the Middle East, this time starring as the titular Phantom.[20][4]

Personal life

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As of 2015, Naaman lived in Southfields, London. That year, he ran the London Marathon for the Make a Difference (MAD) Trust.[21] Naaman married his wife Gillian in December 2016. They have two daughters.[22][23]

Discography

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  • We All Want The Same (2013)
  • Sides (2016)

Stage

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Year Title Role Notes
2007 The Last Five Years Jamie Wellerstein Edinburgh Fringe Festival
2008 The Sound of Music Rolf Gruber London Palladium
2009 James and the Giant Peach James Watermill Theatre, Newbury
2010 Knight Crew Lance Glyndebourne, Sussex
2010 The Phantom of the Opera Ensemble / Raoul cover Her Majesty's Theatre, London
2012 Thirteen Days Andrei Arcola Theatre, London
2012 Marguerite Armand Tabard Theatre, Chiswick
2013 Chess Anatoly Union Theatre, London
2014–2015 Titanic Charles Clarke Southwark Playhouse, London / Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto
2014 One Man, Two Guvnors Alan / Alfie cover Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
2015 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Anthony Tooting Arts Club
2015–2017 The Phantom of the Opera Raoul de Chagny Her Majesty's Theatre, London
2017 By Jeeves Bertie Wooster Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness-on-Windermere
2018 Broken Wings Kahlil Gibran Created with Dana Al Fardan
Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
2018 On the Town Ozzie BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall
2020 A Little Night Music Count Carl-Magnus Opera Holland Park[24]
2021 Rumi: The Musical Rumi Co-wrote and composed with Dana Al Fardan
London Coliseum
2023 Doctor Zhivago in Concert Viktor Komarovsky London Palladium[25]
2023–2024 The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom International tour

References

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  1. ^ a b Hamad, Marwa (13 January 2020). "'Broken Wings' in Dubai: Khalil Gibran and the women who inspired him". Gulf News. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Nadim Naaman releases debut album". Eton College. 18 August 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  3. ^ Julie (22 November 2014). "In Profile with Nadim Naaman from The Phantom of the Opera". Last Minute Theatre Tickets. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b Saeed Saeed (16 February 2024). "British-Lebanese actor Nadim Naaman on why the Arab world can inspire the next big musical". The National. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Nadim Naaman, London". Todo Musicales. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  6. ^ Shenton, Mark (29 July 2008). "MacCorkindale Will Be Captain Von Trapp in London's Sound of Music in August". Playbill. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  7. ^ Gray, Christopher (2 December 2009). "James and the Giant Peach: Watermill Theatre, Newbury". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b O'Hanlon, Dom (8 June 2016). "Interview with Phantom of the Opera's Nadim Naaman". London Theatre. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Marguerite". WhatsOnStage. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  10. ^ Ellwood-Hughes, Pip (13 August 2013). "Nadim Naaman to release debut album". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Album Review: Nadim Naaman – We All Want The Same". There Ought to be Clowns. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  12. ^ Hetrick, Adam (19 May 2015). "Acclaimed in London, Chamber-Sized Titanic Sails Into Toronto Tonight". Playbill. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  13. ^ Snow, Georgia (18 September 2014). "Siobhan McCarthy leads cast of Tooting Arts Club's Sweeney Todd". The Stage. Retrieved 12 April 2024.(subscription required)
  14. ^ "West End Actor Interviews – Nadim Naaman". Actor Hub. 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  15. ^ Wicker, Tom (4 October 2017). "Nadim Naaman: 'Staying in Phantom would have been easy – it was time for a risk'". The Stage. Retrieved 12 April 2024.(subscription required)
  16. ^ Ell, Jenny. "Review: Nadim Naaman's SIDES Album". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  17. ^ Kaplan, Betsy (19 July 2017). "Nadim Naaman and Bill Champion to Star in Andrew Lloyd Webber's By Jeeves in the U.K." Playbill. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  18. ^ Ackman, Nicole (5 June 2018). "Interview: Nadim Naaman Talks BROKEN WINGS at Theatre Royal Haymarket". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  19. ^ Moynihan, Caitlyn (9 September 2021). "Rumi: The Musical, Starring Ramin Karimloo and Nadim Naaman, Gets World Premiere in London". Broadway. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  20. ^ Talass, Rawaa (23 February 2024). "Nadim Naaman takes the stage as first Arab lead star in 'The Phantom of The Opera' at Dubai Opera". Arab News. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  21. ^ "West End's Nadim Naaman Runs London Marathon for MAD Trust". BroadwayWorld. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Gilly and Nadim's Wedding Film". Toast32. 4 December 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  23. ^ Raja, Mudassir (18 September 2019). ""Music the one thing everyone on the planet has in common" — Nadim Naaman, British actor". Gulf Times. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Janie Dee, Jo Riding, Fra Fee, Nadim Naaman in A Little Night Music". The Stephen Sondheim Society. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Doctor Zhivago – In Concert". LW Theatres. 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
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