- Ernesto Tomasini
Infobox actor
imagesize = 150px
birthdate =15 May 1968
birthplace =Palermo Ernesto Tomasini (born
15 May 1968 ) is an Italian actor/singer living in Britain.Tomasini has been very active on the Italian comedy circuit, legitimate theatre and TV since the age of 16. In the early '90s he moved to the UK where, after graduating at the Arts Educational London School, he has had a varied career, working as actor/singer on the West End stage ("Chicago the Musical"), in Off-West End productions (Blind Summit's "Mr China's Son") and with experimental theatre companies (
Lindsay Kemp ). Asavant-garde comedian andcabaret artist he has performed in theatres, nightclubs and cultural institutes in ten countries around the world, winning two prizes inGreat Britain .Having made some early experiments in the late 90s with a production called "The Other Woman", in 2002 Tomasini started to create (in various capacities) his own shows and first attracted attention with an appearance at the
Edinburgh Festival with "True or Falsetto? A Secret History of theCastrati ". The show was a sell out hit not only in Edinburgh but also inLondon for two seasons and on international tours (in three different languages). This was followed by "The Veiled Screen: A Secret History ofHollywood !" which has had two London runs in 2006, sponsored by theArts Council of England . Tomasini’s style of performance - an operatic, dark and twisted blend of Italian Cabaret, avant-garde performance art and thought-provokingVaudeville - has been described as "exhilarating and moving at the same time". He inserted these elements in his latest production, a deviced piece created with other Italian artists in London, entitled "Camurrìa!". It previewed at theRiverside Studios in June 2008 for the first edition of the Italian Theatre Season.In more recent times Tomasini has lent his voice to experimental music projects, quickly establishing himself as an international
cult figure. A wide vocal range combined with his melodramatic delivery have interested the press:Frontiers (magazine) described him as "the most exciting and flamboyant personality to shake up the opera world sinceKlaus Nomi ".
He has sung in London at theRoyal Albert Hall , thePurcell Room and theNational Theatre . Up and coming musicians as well as legendary names have written original material for his voice: For a year and a half he has been the muse of composer OTHON and has performed with him in concert halls around Europe, attracting critical acclaim and a loyal fanbase. They both feature in thesoundtrack ofBruce LaBruce 's last film: "Otto; or, Up With Dead People" and in September they have caused a sensation at theLondon Fashion Week , performing at the show of hat designer Nasir Mazhar. OTHON's debut album, in which Tomasini sings alongsideMarc Almond andDavid Tibet , has just been released on theDurtro Jnana label.
Ernesto also works with Andrew Liles (Nurse With Wound ), Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo (Larsen),Peter Christopherson (aka Sleazy ofCoil ,Throbbing Gristle andPsychic TV ) andCurrent 93 . He has sung for Liles at the Sala Apolo inBarcelona and at the Wet Sounds Festival in London (in the first ever "under water concert") and has recorded tracks that became part of his CDs: "The Vortex Vault Collection" (Beta-lactam Ring Records, 2007). With Palumbo he has performed at Les Voutes inParis and has produced the album "Canes Venatici" (Blossoming Noise, 2007). With Christopherson'sThe Threshold HouseBoys Choir he has appeared (alongside David Tibet, Ivan Pavlov and OTHON) at the Ambrosio Cinema inTurin , Italy, in a new, live soundtrack forDerek Jarman 's "The Angelic Conversation ". The original music for the movie was created in 1985 by Coil and the Turin show was dedicated to the memory ofJohn Balance , who, with Christopherson, founded Coil. In April Ernesto appeared as special guest singer, alongside Marc Almond and Antony (ofAntony & the Johnsons ) at the Current 93 /Baby Dee concert in London'sQueen Elizabeth Hall .
On radio he has sung and acted on all theBBC stations,Classic FM , Radio 3 (Spain), Radio Aligre (France), Radio MEC (Brazil ) andRadio New Zealand .In July he was paid tribute in his hometown of
Palermo with a special evening entitled "Tomasini con la O", in which he discussed his life, career and main sources of inspiration. A lecturer on theatre history and techniques Ernesto has given master-classes to drama students in England,Spain andMexico .Discography
* "Black Widow" (2007) Beta Lactam-ring Records
* "Black Sea" (2007) Beta Lactam-ring Records
* "When I Leave You" (2007) Othon Mataragas
* "Canes Venatici" (2007) Blossoming Noise
* "Otto; or, Up With Dead People" (2008) Crippled Dick Hot Wax!
* "Digital Angel" (2008) Durtro Jnanaelected Work
*"The LA Italian Revue, cabaret (1984, USA)
*"Morte nella notte di Natale, stage (1988, I)
*"Various comedy shows, cabaret (1988/93, I)
*"Ballarò, stage (1989, I)
*"Premio Anna Magnani (RAI 3), TV (1990, I)
*"Support for Nino Frassica, cabaret (1991, I)
*"Nasci lu iornu, stage (1993, I)
*"Volti Lunari, stage (1994, UK)
*"Reunion in Genthin, stage (1995, UK)
*"Grand Hotel - The Musical, stage (1995, UK)
*"The Tempest, stage (1995, UK)
*"Varietè, stage (1996/97, UK)
*"The Other Woman, stage (1998/99, UK)
*"Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4 (1998, UK)
*"The Lenny Beige Show at the Regency Rooms, cabaret (1998, UK)
*"The Conquering Hero of Seville, stage (1999, UK)
*"The Amazing Tomasini at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, cabaret (2001, UK)
*"COPA at the Royal Albert Hall, concert (2001, UK)
*"State of the Nation at the Purcell Room, concert (2002, UK)
*"Outlook, BBC World (2002)
*"Mr China's Son, stage (2002, UK)
*"Thunderpants, Film (2002, UK)
*"True or Falsetto? A Secret History of the Castrati, stage (2002-2007, UK + world tour)
*"Walking the Outer Road, Radio New Zealand (2003, NZ)
*"The Englishman Sits in a Caravan at St Osyth/Singing, opera (2003, UK)
*"Cabaret - The Musical, stage (2003, UK)
*"Crowded Skies (BBC2), TV (2003, UK)
*"Chicago - The Musical, stage (2004/05, UK)
*"Dream Team (Sky), TV (2004, UK)
*"The Bottle Factory Outing, BBC Radio 4 (2005, UK)
*"The Veiled Screen: A Secret History of Hollywood, stage (2005/06, UK)
*"Stars Fall From Heaven at the Colourscape Festival, performance art (2006, UK)
*"Children of Men, Film (2006, USA)
*"Siglo 21, Radio 3 Spain (2007, Es)
*"Nurse With Wound at the Sala Apolo, Barcelona, concert (2007, Es)
*"Othon & Tomasini, European tour, concert (2007/08 EU)
*"Otto; or, Up with Dead People, Film soundtrack (2008, Ger)
*"The Angelic Conversation with The Threshold HouseBoys Choir, Torino, concert (2008, I)
*"Current 93 at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, concert (2008, UK)
*"Camurrìa!, stage (2008, UK)
*"Nurse With Wound at the Wet Sounds Festival, London, concert (2008, UK)External links
* [http://www.ernestotomasini.com official website]
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,11710,769206,00.html Guardian Unlimited] interview by Samantha Ellis from 2002
* [http://www.lastampa.it/Torino/cmsSezioni/mostre/200702articoli/1686girata.asp La Stampa] article from 2007
* [http://www.mixtape.gr/t.asp?sec=1&sub=4&uid=10 Mixtape] interview by Biku Stratake on Greek National Press, 2007
* [http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/trueorfalsetto-rev.htm British Theatre Guide] review by Gill Stoker, 2003
*imdb name|1146398
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