Jeremy Secomb nominated for New York Drama League’s annual award

Competition for the award, given for a distinguished performance, is hot, with nominees including international stars such as Cate Blanchett, Daniel Craig, Danny DeVito, Kevin Kline, Caroline O’Connor and Daniel Radcliffe.

Not only that, the production of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, with Secomb the star, leads the Off-Broadway Lortel Award with seven nominations for various categories.

These categories include Secomb in ‘Outstanding Actor in a Musical’, as well as nods to choreography, lead actress in a musical, and female singer, among others.

The Drama League Award winner will be announced at a luncheon in a Times Square, New York venue on Friday, May 19.

Meantime, Secomb has finished his New York run as Sweeney Todd and returned to London to take up once again his role as Javert in Les Miserables.

Secomb is the son of the late police Sergeant Ken Secomb and his wife Jan. His early education was at Crookwell Public, where he came under the influence of music teacher Jenny McCarthy.

Pursuing a career on stage, Secomb left Australia 17 years ago with a touring company of Phantom of the Opera.

Secomb’s father, Ken, was in charge of the Crookwell Police District before a transfer to Murwillumbah.

Secomb’s brother Michael, still a Crookwell resident, and Michael’s wife, Kathie, have just returned from two and a half weeks in the US, where they delighted in attending his performance.

The impression Secomb has made in the off-Broadway production can be gauged from these excerpts from reputed New York Times critic Ben Brantley:

“You’ll have the opportunity to look straight into the eyes of Mr Todd, eyes that widen to expose 360 bulging degrees of whiteness when he’s especially excited. Portrayed by Jeremy Secomb like an animated refugee from Madame Tussaud’s Chambers of Horrors, this Sweeney has a habit of getting into the faces of customers of Mrs Lovette’s pie shop.”