Peter Land

Peter Land
Born Peter Oliver White
(1953-07-09) July 9, 1953
Taihape, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand
Years active 1962-1985
Spouse(s) Gillian Lynne (1980-present)

Peter Land (9 July 1953) is a New Zealand actor and singer known for his Classical acting with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as appearances in many musicals.

Biography

Early life

Born Peter Oliver White in Taihape, he is the third child of Dr. Allan Neil White, made M.N.Z.M. for services to Medicine and the Community in the New Zealand New Year Honours 2007 [1] and Molly Louise Copeland, whose maiden name provided Land with his last name. Educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School, Victoria University of Wellington (graduating from the Drama Department) and Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, he achieved notable stage success after moving to England in October 1977.

Career

His West End musical debut was as Freddy in My Fair Lady followed by seasons at the Royal National Theatre in Life of Galileo with Sir Michael Gambon and the Royal Shakespeare Company in The Winter's Tale with Patrick Stewart, Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona and All's Well That Ends Well with Dame Peggy Ashcroft. Equally at home in musicals with roles such as Cliff in Cabaret, Andre in The Phantom of the Opera, Snodgrass in Pickwick, Savory in One Touch of Venus [2] and in 2007 as Captain Hook "brilliantly played with a flamboyant, nervous energy and drolly self-guying swagger" in a new adaptation of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan.[3] In this production, he sang the first stage performance of "Captain Hook's Soliloquy", composed by Leonard Bernstein in 1950 and given its world premiere in concert by baritone Lawrence Tibbett.

He first appeared on British Television in the Secret Army series [4] as Erich Devouglaar, a Flemish youth destined for the Eastern Front, while for CBS in 1985, he appeared as Mr. Brent, a 'dream broker', in a season 1 episode of The New Twilight Zone, called Wish Bank.

In summer 2008 Land appeared successfully as Rene Auberjonois's brother Beralde in Molière's The Imaginary Invalid, the season's hit at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C. directed by Keith Baxter.[5]

In 2010/11 Land was back at The King's Head Theatre (renamed London's Little Opera House) debuting as The Bonze in OperaUpClose's radical reinterpretation of Puccini's Madam Butterfly directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher, and in Now or Never - his one-man show directed by Gillian Lynne, firstly dedicated to the victims of the 2011 Canterbury earthquake in New Zealand while March 2012 saw an updated version run at New York's Off-Broadway York Theatre.[6] In 2013 Land played a "leanly rapacious capitalist" in Jerry Herman's Dear World. The musical starring Betty Buckley was directed and choreographed by Gillian Lynne.[7]

Personal life

Land married the well-known director and choreographer Gillian Lynne in 1980.

References

  1. ↑ "New Zealand Honours List » The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners". Rnzcgp.org.nz. 10 September 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Review of the 2001 London production
  3. ↑ Taylor, Paul (27 December 2006). "Peter Pan, King's Head Theatre, London - Reviews - Theatre & Dance". The Independent. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Part 01 The Hostage 002". YouTube. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ "Live Music | New York Music Events & Concerts | Time Out New York". Newyork.timeout.com. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Michael Billington. "Dear World – review | Stage". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
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