Notable musical roles include lead roles in The Phantom of the Opera, The Secret Garden (as Archibald Craven), Annie, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady (as "Henry Higgins"), Jekyll and Hyde (recording only), and Man of La Mancha, as well as a significant supporting role in Les Misérables (as "Enjolras").
His portrayal of the Phantom of the Opera (in the first Australian production, ca. 1990), a demanding role, vocally, dramatically and physically, is regarded as being among the finest in the world. Critics have been quoted as noting his was the only performance to rival Michael Crawford's (the original Phantom in the West End and on Broadway) legendary interpretation of the role. At 29 years old, he became the youngest actor to hold the role, a distinction he holds to this day.
In October 2006, it was announced that Anthony will return to the role of the Phantom in the July 2007 production to be launched in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. [1]
His opera roles include major roles in Die Fledermaus (as "Gabriel Eisenstein"), The Magic Flute (as "Papageno"), and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Anthony Warlow was the youngest baritone ever to play the role of "Papageno", a role which he played for the first time at the age of 21.
His Gilbert and Sullivan roles for Opera Australia include the featured comedic role in The Mikado (as "Ko-Ko") in 2004, as well as appearing in major roles in the 1996 production of Patience (as "Archibald Grosvenor") and in the 2005 double-bill of Trial by Jury (as the "Learned Judge") and H.M.S. Pinafore (as "Captain Corcoran"). Apart from The Mikado, these the Gilbert and Sullivan productions are available on DVD.
Warlow is currently appearing in the Opera Australia production of "The Pirates of Penzance" (another popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera), in which he is appearing in the role of the "Pirate King" - with performances during 2006 in Sydney, New South Wales (at the Sydney Opera House), in Canberra, A.C.T. and in Brisbane, Queensland (at the Lyric Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre). During 2007 he will return to the role in Melbourne, Victoria.
In the opera production, Anthony Warlow looks very much like Captain Jack Sparrow from "Pirates of the Caribbean". Anthony Warlow said, in an press interview in Brisbane, that he had deliberately based his Pirate King character on the Pirate Captain from "Pirates of the Caribbean" - commenting that people, who did not know the opera, recognised the Pirate character he portrayed, and also recognised the gestures he used, which were also based on the Pirate Captain from the movie - and that this recognition might help people (who knew the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, but not "The Pirates of Penzance" opera), enjoy the opera more [2]. Also appearing in the production are David Hobson (as "Frederic"), and Suzanne Johnston (as "Ruth").
This production of "The Pirates of Penzance", with Anthony Warlow as the Pirate King, was shown on television, by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, on Saturday night 9 December, 2006 - followed by a comment that a DVD of the production (just seen) had now been released (the opera was filmed during a live performance at the Sydney Opera House). There was also a comment that Anthony Warlow would be back on television, in a concert performance, on the night of 24 December (the concert will also be shown by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
Anthony Warlow was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1992, during the early publicity for the arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar where he was to appear as Pilate. This forced him to put his career on hold for about a year while he battled the disease. He returned to performance in the second half of 1993 with a national concert tour for the launch of his Back In The Swing album. He has since done promotional work for the Leukaemia Foundation of Australia.
His 4th solo album, Midnight Dreaming, made it to the top ten of the Australian Aria Charts.
Transformation
Anthony Warlow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
September 13th, 11:56 PM.
I have started this alone,
And I must finish it. Alone.
There is no longer a choice.
I know I must use myself
As the subject of the experiment
No there is no choice
There's no place to hide
So it comes to this
One last final chance for me to take
Now everything I've fought for is at stake
Like a warning light, glimmering in red
Like crimson bloodshed, shimmering in red
Beautiful and strange,
See the colors change
Before my eyes
See how they dance and they sparkle like diamonds at night
Leading out of the darkness
And into the light.
(Spoken)
11:58 PM. I have consumed 10 centiliters of formula HJ7.
Salty, bitter taste. Stings the tongue. Warm in the gullet.
Heat spreading strongly through my veins.
A slight feeling of euphoria.
Light-headedness.
No noticeable behavioral differences
I must be wise
I must try to analyze each change in me
Everything I see
How will it be?
Will I see the world through different eyes?
Now the die is cast!
Nothing left to do...
Time alone can prove my theories true...
Show the world--
(Spoken)
My God! What's this?
Something is happening
I can't explain
Something inside me
A breathtaking pain
Devours and consumes me
And drives me insane!
(Prolonged scream, pained noises)
Suddenly
Uncontrolled
Something is
Taking hold!
Suddenly
Agony!
Filling me!
Killing me?
Suddenly
Out of breath!
What is this?
Is this death?
Suddenly
Look at me!
Can it be?
Who is this... creature... that I see?
(Spoken) Free!
(Laughter)
The opening lines of Anthony Warlow's song "Transformation" depict Dr. Jekyll's resolute decision to conduct an experiment on himself, as he believes this is his only option. He acknowledges that he fears the consequences of his actions, but there is no alternative. He takes into cognizance the risks involved and pours the HJ7 formula down his throat, which causes a series of dramatic physical changes to his body. The lyrics describe his amazement and horror as he undergoes an agonizing transformation that sees him change into Mr. Hyde.
Furthermore, the lyrics show the internal battle Dr. Jekyll faces between his conscience and his overpowering desire to experiment on himself. He knows that taking this step is fraught with danger and could be his undoing, but he hopes to create a better world regardless. His success will be the proof that his scientific theories are correct, and he can share his discovery with the world. As the experiment progresses, he becomes increasingly aware of the things he could see and do with his newfound power, but the transformation is taking much longer than he had anticipated. The song's climax is Dr. Jekyll's realization that he is now powerless to control Mr. Hyde, and the creature he sees in his reflection is not who he wants to be.
Line by Line Meaning
I have started this alone,
I began this experiment by myself
And I must finish it. Alone.
I have to go through this experiment by myself and finish it all by myself
There is no longer a choice.
I have no other option but to do this experiment
I know I must use myself
I am aware that I have to use my own self
As the subject of the experiment
I have to be the test subject for the experiment
No there is no choice
I really have no say or options left
I must put aside the fears I feel inside
I should forget about my fears and focus on this experiment
There's no place to hide
I can't escape this, I have to face this head-on
So it comes to this
It's come down to this moment
One last final chance for me to take
This is the final chance I have
Now everything I've fought for is at stake
Everything that I've worked towards is at risk
Like a warning light, glimmering in red
It's like a sign that's flashing in red
Like crimson bloodshed, shimmering in red
It's a red light that reminds me of blood
Beautiful and strange, See the colors change
It's a beautiful but strange thing to see the colors change
Before my eyes
I can see it happening right before my very eyes
See how they dance and they sparkle like diamonds at night
They are moving like a dance and shining like diamonds in the night
Leading out of the darkness
It's like a path out of darkness
And into the light.
Towards the light
11:58 PM. I have consumed 10 centiliters of formula HJ7.
I took the formula HJ7 at 11:58 PM
Salty, bitter taste. Stings the tongue. Warm in the gullet.
It's a bitter, salty taste and feels warm going down
Heat spreading strongly through my veins.
I can feel the heat spreading all over my veins
A slight feeling of euphoria.
I'm feeling slightly euphoric
Light-headedness.
I'm feeling dizzy
No noticeable behavioral differences
I don't feel any significant changes in my behavior
I must be wise
I must be cautious and think this through
I must try to analyze each change in me
I have to examine every change in me
Everything I see
Every little thing I notice
How will it be?
What will happen next?
Will I see the world through different eyes?
Will I perceive everything differently?
Now the die is cast!
I've made my decision and there's no going back
Nothing left to do...
I have nothing left to do
Time alone can prove my theories true...
Only time will tell if my theories are correct
Show the world--
I'll show the world what I can do
My God! What's this?
What the heck? What's happening?
Something is happening
Something strange is happening to me
I can't explain
I don't know how to describe it
Something inside me
I can feel something happening inside me
A breathtaking pain
A sharp, intense pain that makes me gasp for breath
Devours and consumes me
It feels like it's eating me alive
And drives me insane!
It's making me crazy!
(Prolonged scream, pained noises)
I'm screaming in pain
Suddenly
All of a sudden
Uncontrolled
I can't control it
Something is
Something is happening to me
Taking hold!
I'm losing control
Suddenly
All of a sudden
Agony!
I'm in agony!
Filling me!
I feel like I'm being filled with pain
Killing me?
Is it killing me?
Suddenly
All of a sudden
Out of breath!
I can't breathe!
What is this?
What the heck is going on?
Is this death?
Am I dying?
Suddenly
All of a sudden
Look at me!
Look at me now!
Can it be?
Is it really true?
Who is this... creature... that I see?
Who or what is this thing I've become?
(Spoken) Free!
Free at last!
(Laughter)
Laughing in relief
Contributed by Austin M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.