Kevin Wallace

Early life and career

Wallace was born in Limerick, Ireland, the youngest of the three children of Michael Kevin Wallace and Nancy (née Cussen). Wallace worked as a stage and television actor in his native Ireland and in Britain, with the Abbey Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Bristol Old Vic, The Liverpool Everyman, Oxford Playhouse, Yorkshire Television and the BBC.

Producing

Before joining The Really Useful Group, Wallace produced The Emperor Jones (Offstage Downstairs), Our Town (Shaftesbury Theatre) starring Alan Alda and Robert Sean Leonard with Jonny Lee Miller in his first West End role, and Tim Luscombe's Eurovision starring Anita Dobson and James Dreyfus. In January 2002 he re-established Kevin Wallace Limited (KWL), to produce musicals and plays. During 2002, KWL presented the multi-award winning Traverse Theatre/National Theatre production of Gregory Burke's Gagarin Way (Arts Theatre), directed by John Tiffany and the Abbey Theatre Dublin production of Eden by Eugene O'Brien (also at the Arts). Directed by Conor McPherson, Eden won both the Irish Times/ESB Award and the Stewart Parker Award for Best New Play.

Really Useful Group

Wallace was in-house producer with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group (RUG) for eight years, where he was responsible for Celebration, Andrew Lloyd Webber's 50th Birthday Concert at the Royal Albert Hall starring Glenn Close, Antonio Banderas, Sarah Brightman and Elaine Paige; Whistle Down the Wind (Aldwych Theatre), which featured "No Matter What", the hit single recorded by Boyzone; The Beautiful Game (Cambridge Theatre), winner, Best Musical, in the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2000 and Closer to Heaven (Arts Theatre), with music and lyrics by the Pet Shop Boys and starring Frances Barber.

He also established productions of The Phantom of the Opera in Switzerland, Belgium, Mexico and Denmark; a US tour of Cats; the original production of Sunset Boulevard, directed by Trevor Nunn, in Germany, and produced the new production of Sunset Boulevard, directed by Robert Carsen and starring Faith Brown. Wallace produced the UK tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Gale Edwards, and won an International Emmy Award in 2001 as Executive Producer of the film based on that production. Wallace also produced the Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar, (Foxwoods Theatre), directed by Gale Edwards, that received a 2000 Tony Award Nomination for Best Musical Revival.

The Lord of the Rings musical

Wallace, with Saul Zaentz, produced The Lord of the Rings directed by Matthew Warchus, with music by A. R. Rahman, Värttinä and Christopher Nightingale. The Lord of the Rings played in Toronto (Princess of Wales Theatre), where the show was nominated for 15 Dora Awards, winning 7, including "Outstanding New Musical" and awards for direction (Matthew Warchus), costume design (Rob Howell) and choreography (Peter Darling) and in London (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), where it was nominated for 7 Whatsonstage Theatregoer's Choice Awards in 2007 and 5 Olivier Awards in 2008.

Other productions

In 2009 Wallace produced the Christmas season of Stuart Wood's music hall musical, Frank's Closet, starring Russell Whitehead and Gary Amers, at the Hoxton Hall in London's East End.

Wallace was a co-producer on the musical, Loserville, by Elliot Davis and James Bourne, at The Quarry Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. Loserville transferred from West Yorkshire Playhouse to The Garrick Theatre London in October 2012, and received a Best New Musical 2013 Olivier Awards nomination.

Wallace was consultant producer to the Australian-based company, Global Creatures, on their stage adaptation King Kong, directed by Daniel Kramer, which had its world premiere in Melbourne (Regent Theatre, Melbourne) on 15 June 2013.

In 2011 Kevin Wallace and Brazilian partners incorporated Tempo Entertainment S/A in Rio de Janeiro. TEMPO's first co-production, a musical based on "Gabriela Clove and Cinnamon" by "Jorge Amado", premiered at TEATRO CETIP, São Paulo, on 8 June 2016. Gabriela, adapted for the stage by Adriana Falcão and João Falcão, and directed by João Falcão, won three Bibi Ferreira Awards; Best Brazilian Musical, Best Lighting and Best Direction, and an APCA Cultural Award for Best Director.

KWL is co-producing I Capture the Castle, a musical based on the Dodie Smith novel, at Watford Palace Theatre in April 2017.

Honours and awards

In September 2011, Wallace was made a Fellow of Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance.

Olivier Awards for Best New Musical

Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical

Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for Best Musical

Dora Awards for Outstanding New Musical

International Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performing Arts Program