Happy Birthday to two-time Olivier nominee Paul Keating, born Mar. 11, 1976, in London. He began acting at age 12, when he was cast as Gavroche in the West End production of Les Misérables. The following year, he made his TV debut in the lead role of Toby Jenks in the short-lived BBC children’s drama series Troublemakers, then his film debut in 1991, singing “A Spark Inside Us” on the soundtrack of the animated adventure The Princess and the Goblin. He didn’t pursue drama at university, but while working the shelves at Tesco’s supermarket, he decided to attend an open audition for the West End premiere of Tommy (1996), eventually landing the title role after six months of callbacks. He earned his first Olivier nomination for his performance and toured with the show across the U.K. Below is Keating singing “Sensation.”
His subsequent London musical roles include the Balladeer in New End’s revival of Assassins (1997), Buttons in Stephen Fry’s pantomime Cinderella at Theatre Royal Stratford East (1998), and Deadalus in Escape from Teradactyl Island at Pleasance Theatre (1999). He then appeared in the Great Performances broadcast of Jesus Christ Superstar, before returning to the West End as Agon in La Cava (2000) and Dave in Closer to Heaven (2001), which earned him his second Olivier nomination. Below is a medley from Closer to Heaven, featuring Keating in the title song reprise (3:30) and the “Positive Role Model” finale (5:35).
After roles in the U.K. premiere of The Rose and the Ring (2001) and West End premiere of The Full Monty (2002), he made his U.S. debut as Henrik in Chicago Shakespeare’s revival of A Little Night Music (2003), a collaboration with Donmar Warehouse. He returned to London as Seymour in Menier Chocolate Factory’s revival of Little Shop of Horrors (2006), which transferred to the West End, then as John in the West End premiere of Tick, Tick … Boom! (2009).
Keating began the next decade as the Scarecrow in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s adaptation of The Wizard of Oz (2011) at the London Palladium, followed by a 2014 workshop of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and the lead role of Elliot Garfield in the 2015 Fringe revival of The Goodbye Girl. Below is an abridged version of The Wizard of Oz, presented as a benefit for Children in Need, featuring Keating from about 2:30.
Recently, Keating was Uncle Frank in the Off-West End premiere of Little Miss Sunshine (2019), with which he then toured the U.K. and Ireland. Below is a trailer for the show. During his hiatus from the stage wrought by the pandemic since 2020, Keating has resurrected his experience working for a leading fragrance brand and created his own line of products for RestN.