Beyond The Barricade
Andy Reiss
**See Current News article about Andy's starring role in 'Jekyll & Hyde' and visit the Gallery to view some production photo's taken by David Fawcett**
Andy Reiss, a Staffordshire lad, began his musical career at the tender age of 5 when he learned to read and play music with the Hednesford Salvation Army brass band! He played in various rock bands, including Black Ice and notably Opera, but treading the boards with his local society in the lead role of Billy in Carousel forged a road that would eventually lead to a career in musical theatre.
Working through theatrical projects in his own time for five years became the norm – and eventually the 'real' job had to go, when following an open audition, Andy was cast in the first UK production of Les Miserables to appear outside of the West End.
The hard work had paid off – without an agent and without any formal training. In every workshop and Masterclass he takes, he is always keen to point out that there is always room for sheer hard work and commitment.
Andy stayed with Les Miserables throughout its residency at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. He was thrilled to be offered the job of assistant to the Resident Director after such a short time on the professional scene and quotes the time spent working with, and watching the creative team on Les Mis – Ken Caswell and John Caird – worth a three year course at any drama college.
Andy has also performed in Les Miserables in Dublin and Edinburgh and after a two year break from the show he returned as the Resident Director for the 1st National Tour. Andy can also be seen as the Paris Pimp in the 10th Anniversary Concert at the the Royal Albert Hall. He was very happy to be chosen as one of the fifty costumed characters from a company chosen from the worldwide casts of Les Miserables.
He has played Che in Evita in the UK National Tour, and performed in Chess, both in the UK and Norway. He was also musical director for Annie in Portsmouth and Guildford and he directed the first UK production of Seussical in Glasgow, and then was MD for the same show at the Teatru Manoel in Malta in 2006.
Most recently, Andy has worked as MD on a new production of The Rocky Horror Show, and was seen in his critically acclaimed performance, starring as Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde at the Teatru Manoel, Malta in Jekyll & Hyde
Although touring with Beyond the Barricade takes up the majority of his time, Andy is also in demand as a director of Musical Theatre Workshops throughout the UK and abroad.
With David Fawcett, he has also produced UK tours including Pure Puccini, Money Money Money, Kingdom of Song, and Sing for Victory.
