Oliver Tompsett
Oliver Tompsett (born 25 August 1981) is a British actor and singer, best known for his work in musical theatre. He originated leading roles in multiple West End productions, including Drew Boley in Rock of Ages and William Shakespeare in & Juliet. In addition, Tompsett is known for his portrayal of Fiyero in Wicked and Galileo in We Will Rock You. Early life and education Tompsett was born in Abingdon-on-Thames. His father, John, was an engineer and opera singer, and his mother, Judy, who ran a dance studio. He has an older brother, Ben, who is a musician, and a sister, Amy. Tompsett attended John Mason School. He was a member of the Oxfordshire Youth Music Theatre, which sparked his interest in musical theatre, where he performed in youth productions of Me and My Girl, Godspell and Anne of Green Gables. He is a graduate of Arts Educational School, where he played the lead role of "Tony" in West Side Story. Career Tompsett made his professional and West End debut in October 2002 in the Madness/Tim Firth musical Our House, directed by Matthew Warchus, at London's Cambridge Theatre. He is featured on the DVD of the production, recorded for BBC3 in 2003, as the character Callum and as a member of the ensemble. His subsequent London stage appearances include: Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' Mamma Mia!, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, at the Prince of Wales Theatre; Notes From New York at the Trafalgar Studios and Christmas in New York at the Apollo Theatre, both directed by David Randall; 'Caliph' in Kismet, directed by Tiffany Watt-Smith, at the Arcola Theatre and "Harry Lytton" in Richard Stirling's Over My Shoulder: The Story of Jessie Matthews, directed by Stewart Nicholls, at Wyndhams Theatre. Immediately prior to joining the original cast of Wicked, in September 2006, he appeared in Trevor Nunn's production of Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun at the National Theatre. He has twice appeared on the Royal Variety Performance, in 2002 and 2006. Tompsett next played the role of Fiyero in the West End musical Wicked, which opened 27 September 2006. He is a member of the original London cast, having previously performed in the ensemble and serving as the understudy for Fiyero, before replacing Adam Garcia on 16 July 2007. He played his final performance on 27 March 2010 after three and a half years with the production. He was succeeded by Lewis Bradley who played the role until May 2010, when Lee Mead took over. Tompsett originated the role of Drew in the West End production of Rock of Ages. For this role he was nominated for the whatsonstage.com Theatergoers Choice Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Oliver left the show on 23 September 2012 when his contract ended. On 12 September 2012 it was confirmed that Tompsett will replace Noel Sullivan as Galileo in We Will Rock You on 6 October 2012. For this part he was nominated for the whatsonstage.com Theatergoers Choice Award for