English singer John Reed in the 1966 D’Oyly Carte Opera Company production of The Mikado
English character dancer, actor and baritone, John Reed, who delighted generations in Gilbert & Sullivan’s D’Oyly Carte operettas, died on February 13, his 94th birthday. He is survived by his partner of 52 years, Nicholas Kerri.
Mr. Reed was born in County Durham, England, in 1916.
He joined D’Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1951 as a comic understudy. He
became principal comic baritone in 1959, where he performed and recorded
all the major roles in his fach, including Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S.
Pinafore, Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance,
Ko-Ko in The Mikado (his favorite), the Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe,
and John Wellington Wells in The Sorcerer. He also directed
and appeared with other companies.
Mr. Reed appeared on the Celebrity Series of Boston season 3 times as a member of D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, in 1962 at The Shubert Theatre and in 1966, and '68 at The Savoy Theatre.
The Scotsman
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Culture Club blog
Baltimore Sun blog: Clef Notes (Tim Smith)
The Halifax Evening Courier
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