Ramin Karimloo on Starring Opposite Kerry Ellis in London's Murder Ballad, Returning to Broadway in Anastasia & Why He Still Lifts Weights

Ramin Karimloo needs little introduction as a onetime Phantom in both The Phantom of the Opera and its West End sequel, Love Never Dies, as well as a storming Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on Broadway, which brought him a 2014 Tony nod. But he can currently be found opposite Wicked alumna Kerry Ellis as one of four leads in the small but still mighty Murder Ballad at the Arts Theatre. The ever-charming and candid performer took time recently to talk about returning home to London, acting in an intimate venue, his hopes for his next Broadway venture, Anastasia, and, yes, working out. 

Welcome back to London! Does Murder Ballad feel like a homecoming?
In a way. London is where my kids are, and where they are is home. [Karimloo's sons are 12 and 8.] And London is great—I mean, I do love it—but I can't deny the opportunities that are there for me in New York. There's so much going on there at any moment in time, and there's more of it and it just feels bigger: that's just the way it is. Also, I just love the way musical theater is celebrated out there; it is a great community. But at the same time, there is a charm and culture about London, which is where I've spent my adult years. It's what I know. I feel blessed and grateful to call both [cities] home.

Are you amused to have returned to London in a chamber musical that is set in New York?
That is interesting, but it felt like the right move as well. I've based my performance as Tom on the experience of my three years out there, and it's fun to be in a show that references the speed of New York, the energy of New York, and knowing that there are different energies to the various parts of New York we see in the show. I hope the audience gets taken on that ride. 

Did you prep for Tom by talking to your Les Miserables co-star Will Swenson, who played the same part off-Broadway [opposite another Les Miz alum, Caissie Levy]?
I actually saw Will do Murder Ballad well before Les Miz was even a thought, and I really enjoyed it. But our production has a different director [Sam Yates] and is in an entirely different kind of space. What I saw in New York was great for that theater, but it would never work where we are. Sam was also all about re-envisioning the piece. 

What are your thoughts on Tom, who, without giving too much away, may not be what he at first seems?
Here's the thing with Tom: when we first started rehearsing, I really looked at the lyrics and the story and thought, he's a typical guy in a relationship in his 20s who wants to sow his wild oats and spread his wings a bit. He's running a bar when he gets a call from this woman, Sara, who wants him back in her life—and who also happens to be married. As I see it, Tom genuinely falls in love with Sara, so that's how I can deal with it: he doesn't set out to break up that marriage; it's just that you can't control what the heart wants.

Does the piece feel tiny next to an epic venture like Les Miz?
This is something I'd never experienced before and is exactly what I was wanting after Les Miz. There's something to be said about a four-hander where we're not spreading ourselves thin. We were in each other's lives from the get-go, and even on breaks, we would all go out together. What's great is the guys are sharing a dressing room, so it's me and Norman [co-star Norman Bowman] and Matt [Matthew Harvey, the male cover]. On this one, I would hate if I was in my room: it's got to be me and Matt and Norm. 

How are the vocal challenges of Tom?
It's so easy [laughs]! After Les Miz, I was probably burned out without knowing it. I got tired from the bodybuilding and Valjean is a big thing no matter who you are! So with this, it's nice not to have to go full tilt all the time. There's kind of a country feel about the music with a couple of nice notes, but I don't have to think to myself, where I am going to get this [note] tonight?

What's it like starring opposite Kerry Ellis as Sara, given that she comes with her own huge fan base thanks to Wicked?
She came to this keen to work hard on something that is against the grain for her, and she has just blown me away. This is something she's never done, and beforehand I kept thinking, "I wonder what the actual acting relationship between us is going to be like", but now I can't think of anyone else I could have done this with. Right away, we developed an intimacy on stage that didn't need to be discussed, and there hasn't been a day where we also haven't found ourselves laughing all the time. She's just the best. 

Did you attend the 30th anniversary gala for The Phantom of the Opera?
No. I didn't really feel as if that was a night for me anymore, and after the 25th [gala], nothing was going to top that, at least for me personally. I'm grateful for Phantom, and I know both that and Love Never Dies have been kind of me, but I think it's time now just to enjoy the memories. 

So you'd prefer to look ahead, which includes your Broadway return in the spring in Anastasia?
Absolutely, not that this—or anything else I do—is ever a decision taken lightly, and it's always in conjunction with [wife] Mandy. But everything about Anastasia was saying yes: [composer] Stephen Flaherty and [lyricist] Lynn Ahrens are among my favorite songwriters. I have always wanted to sing their songs, and with Darko [Tresnjak] directing, how can I not become a better person? 

Did you see the Hartford production?
No, sadly I couldn't because of family commitments: that was when I knew I had to come home. But it's a great story with a lot of heart in it. I did a workshop originally because I looked at the creative team and thought, I just want to be in the room with those people. Something about [the show] reminds me of our story when we left Iran in 1978 to go to Toronto. This seems the right time to tap into that kind of story once again. 

What about Prince of Broadway, the Hal Prince-themed musical retrospective which you performed in Japan?
It's early days still on that one, but I keep up with its New York plans from what I see on social media. I don't know what's going to happen and it could be a clash of dates, so for now, I can only focus on Anastasia. If it doesn't happen, I guess it wasn't meant to be, at least for me, but it was a great memory and I had the best time.

You mentioned body-building earlier: is that becoming ever more important to your life?
It is, and I can tell you why. When I got Valjean the first time around in London, I started reading the Victor Hugo novel and I remember it said, "Valjean goes through the town a man of medium stature with broad shoulders who is in the prime of his life"—and I thought, I am not in the prime of my life! So I started the Insanity Workout program, and I am telling you, it is insane. It’s hard work—I thought I was going to die after day one!

What kept you going?
I'd always wanted a role that you had to be physically strong for, and I think I felt that Valjean's physical status equated to his emotional status: his brain and his body had become his soul, and I thought, that's something I could attempt to tell. I'm never going to sing it better than it has been done—Colm [Wilkinson] is the definitive guy there—but what I can add that perhaps hasn't been done is to join up the emotional and the physical, so I gained about 20 pounds. I was 199 pounds at my heaviest: I was strong as a tank.

Have you kept your weight at that level?
It's dropped back to about 185 or 187. But the thing with Valjean was that I was doing that [part] seven times a week and in my head, the physical nature of it was part of the gig, and because I was away from home and without my family, my hours allowed that to happen. It became a non-negotiable part of my Valjean and something people could use in the marketing. On Broadway, when Valjean ripped his prison gear off, you could totally hear the audience respond. 

Does this work for Tom in Murder Ballad when you need to disrobe?
I think actually that Tom does require some sort of narcissism, so I thought, great, we'll keep that. And Gleb in Anastasia reminds me of my father: when I look back at my dad who was part of the Shah's imperial guard in Iran, he was hard as nails. All those guys were built like tanks. 

Where do you see this leading—to the Ramin Karimloo workout video, perhaps?
Well, I'd be a bit of a fraud if I did something like that unless I studied it and found something that I thought I could share. But I love how I feel in clothes now, I love fashion, and the point of all this is: do what makes you happy. I don't want people to think this is the only way, but I do enjoy going to the gym and it seems to be serving my characters well. As and when I have to play a character who's a bit more, shall we say, rounded, I'll go on an eating spree, no problem!