It was an early morning for fans of Olivier nominated stage star John Barrowman today in the U.K. Beginning at 7.45am, fans braved the cold to start the queue at Dress Circle to have their copies of Barrowman's new autobiography "I Am What I Am" signed by the star. By 11.00am the queue was over 200 and snaking around the block. Despite the grey day, reportedly a good time was had by all.
I Am What I Am, released this month, is a follow-up to his wildly successful 2008 autobiography Anything Goes, which he wrote with his sister Carole E. Barrowman and was published by Michael O'Mara Books. Anything Goes reached number 2 in the Sunday Times best seller's list, remaining in the top ten for 13 weeks. The paperback version was published in February 2009.
Barrowman is best known on British television for his acting and presenting work for the BBC. His most prominent television role has been as Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. He has featured in such light entertainment shows centered on finding the next West End stars such as Live & Kicking, Any Dream Will Do, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, and I'd Do Anything as well as appearing on the celebrity ice skating show Dancing on Ice.
His professional debut was in the 1989 London West End production of Cole Porter's Anything Goes, playing Billy Crocker, a role that he reprised in Trevor Nunn's 2003 West End revival. He has also appeared in the West End productions of Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast, Matador, Hair, Grease!, Sunset Boulevard, Chicago and The Phantom of the Opera. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1998 for originating the role of Cal Chandler in The Fix, a performance he repeated in Cameron Mackintosh's 1998 gala concert Hey, Mr Producer!. He has played the role of Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard in the West End and, briefly, on Broadway. His other Broadway credit is the Stephen Sondheim revue Putting It Together (1999-2000). He has also appeared in the West End in non-musical dramas, such as Rope and the 2005 production of A Few Good Men in which Barrowman starred as Jack Ross opposite Rob Lowe. He played the lead in the Robin Hood panto at the Birmingham Hippodrome for the 2008-2009 season, and is set to reprise this role in Cardiff for the 2009-2010 season.
For more information on John Barrowman and his upcoming projects, visit: www.johnbarrowman.com
