Dan Burton (born in 1985) is a British actor best known for his work in musical theatre. He trained at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey, England,[1] and received an MA degree from Middlesex University, London.

Career

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Burton's early credits included ensemble roles in the UK tour of Miss Saigon and the West End productions of Chicago and Dirty Dancing, from 2006 to 2008.[1] He then went on to play Bernardo in the 2009 UK tour of West Side Story.[2]

He played the role of Nikos/Padamadan in the original West End cast of Legally Blonde (2010).[1] He appeared in the ensemble of another West End show, Betty Blue Eyes, in 2011, in which at one point he appeared as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.[3] Burton joined the cast of Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward Theatre as Joe Pesci/Frankie Valli in 2012.[4] He then appeared as Earl in the Chichester Festival Theatre production of The Pajama Game, with which he transferred to the West End in 2014.[5]

He played Tulsa in the 2015 West End revival of Gypsy, for which he was nominated for the 2016 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical.[6] The reviewer for The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Burton "blows the doors off... with his big number, "All I Need Is the Girl.'"[7] The Stage commented that "Burton danced up a storm as Tulsa in [Gypsy], really earning his nomination"].[8]

Other roles have included Don Lockwood in Singin' in the Rain in 2015, and Billy Lawlor in 42nd Street in 2016, both at the Du Chatelet in Paris, France.[9][10] In 2016, he starred as Gene Donen in the short musical film Listen Up Emily.[11] He starred as Jerry Travers in 2017 in a stage adaptation of Top Hat at Kilworth House Theatre. Mark Shenton, in The Stage, called his performance "versatile and charming. ... Burton not only has an effortless, square-jawed matinee idol charm, he also sings the score as gorgeously as he dances it."[12] Also in 2017, Burton released an album called Broadway Melodies.[13]

In 2018 he appeared as Harry the Horse in Guys and Dolls in concert at the Royal Albert Hall,[14] and from 2018 to 2019 he appeared as Giles Ralston in Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap at London's St Martins Theatre.[15]

Burton returned to the West End in late 2019 as Phil Davis in White Christmas.[16] He had performed the role at the Curve theatre in Leicester in 2018, where a reviewer praised his use of "his expressive face to great effect in comic business".[17] After the West End run, he toured in the role.[18]

In 2022, Burton received a Master of Arts degree from Middlesex University, London.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Danny Mac and Dan Burton to star in White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre", LondonTheatre.co.uk, March 19, 2019, accessed July 1, 2019; and Robinson, Julie. "In Profile with Dan Burton", August 1, 2015, Last Minute Theatre Tickets, accessed July 1, 2019
  2. ^ "West Side Story, EFT, May 2009, Review | Edinburgh Guide". www.edinburghguide.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  3. ^ "Duke of Edinburgh proves that he can laugh at himself". Telegraph.co.uk. April 13, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  4. ^ "Jersey Boys to celebrate 4th Birthday", LondonTheatre.co.uk, February 13, 2012
  5. ^ "Peter Polycarpou, Gary Wilmot and Colin Stinton complete Pajama Game cast". WhatsOnStage.com. February 14, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  6. ^ "Olivier awards 2016: complete list of nominations", The Guardian, February 29, 2016, accessed May 5, 2017; and Gans, Andrew. "Imelda Staunton Gypsy Airs on PBS Tonight", Playbill, November 11, 2016, accessed July 2, 2019
  7. ^ Felperin, Leslie. "Gypsy: Theater Review", The Hollywood Reporter, April 16, 2015, accessed July 1, 2019
  8. ^ "The Stage critics’ 2016 Olivier awards predictions", The Stage, March 30, 2016, accessed July 1, 2019
  9. ^ "New Singin' in the Rain in Paris Stays Faithful to the Original", The New York Times, March 16, 2015, accessed July 1, 2019
  10. ^ Sulcas, Roslyn. "Review: A New 42nd Street Opens in Paris", The New York Times, November 24, 2016, accessed July 1, 2019
  11. ^ "8th Annual Lady Filmmakers Festival Beverly Hills – Listen Up Emily, We Are Moving Stories, September 2016, accessed July 2, 2019
  12. ^ Shenton, Mark. "Top Hat review at Kilworth House Theatre – 'sheer theatrical pleasure'", The Stage, August 24, 2017, accessed July 1, 2019
  13. ^ "Dan Burton – Broadway Melodies", Descogs.com, accessed July 2, 2019
  14. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Adrian Lester, Clive Rowe, More Set for Royal Albert Hall’s Guys and Dolls: Live in Concert", Playbill, August 24, 2018; and White Christmas Will Play at the Dominion Theatre This Christmas", BroadwayWorld.com, March 19, 2019, accessed July 1, 2019
  15. ^ "Christmas shows: 2018's hottest theatre, dance, panto and comedy to dance and belt your way through the holidays", The Telegraph, November 18, 2018, accessed July 1, 2019; "Hawes & Curtis Announced as the Official Tailor to The Mousetrap", BroadwayWorld.com, July 2, 2019
  16. ^ Wyver, Kate. "White Christmas review – a sparkling, snow-topped sensation", The Guardian, 26 November 2019
  17. ^ Plaice, Andy. "Review: White Christmas (Curve, Leicester)", WhatsOnStage.com, December 17, 2018, accessed July 2, 2019
  18. ^ Parker, Francesca. "White Christmas the Musical – Bristol Hippodrome", TheReviewsHub.com, 2 November 2021
  19. ^ Burton, Dan. "A lockdown project has finally finished after 2 hard years", Instagram, July 5, 2022
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