Philip Quast

Theatre

After graduating from NIDA in 1979 Quast began his career in the resident acting company of the State Theatre Company of South Australia. In the early 1980s he appeared in plays such as The Mystery Plays of Wakefield, Three Sisters, On the Wallaby, Pericles, A Month in the Country, As You Like It, Pygmalion, A Hard God, No End of Blame, The Threepenny Opera, Shark Infested Waters, Candide with Nimrod Theatre Company, and a musical adaption of Carmen which he debuted with the Melbourne Theatre Company.^[4]

Les Misérables

Quast shot to prominence in 1987 as Javert in the original Australian production of Les Misérables, winning him a Sydney Critic Award and a Mo Award. In 1989, he traveled to London to reprise the role on the West End stage.^[5] Quast never expected to gain such a prominent role, going to the auditions hoping simply for a place in the chorus.^[6] Unable to sight-read music, he walked off the stage at the audition but was called back by Claude-Michel Schönberg and eventually given the part as Javert.^[6]

Quast credits much of his success as Javert to stage director Trevor Nunn. "Javert for me is not the Wicked Witch of the West," Quast has said. "In fact, there is very little material to work with in the script. Trevor would say things in passing like 'Have you read the Ten Commandments recently?' That's all he would say. If you're thirsty enough, you can follow it up ... there was the whole basis of our legal system and the explanation for the whole of Les Mis. For me, that's inspired directing. That's why he's such an awesome man."^[6]

When playing Javert, Quast gained a reputation as a perfectionist and began experiencing intense bouts of stagefright. "I had a terrible time," he said. "It took me a month to get over it. At one stage I wasn't sleeping at all but lying awake planning speeches to the audience about being sorry and could I start again."^[6]

Film and television

In 1981, Quast began appearing as a presenter on the Australian children's show Play School, a program he would return to on-and-off again for 17 years.

From 1982 to 1983, he appeared in a recurring role as Dr Rod Hawkins in Australian medical soap opera The Young Doctors for 20 episodes. From 1984 to 1985, he had another recurring role as Bob 'Mitch' Mitchell in Australian drama soap opera Sons and Daughters for 30 episodes. Quast appeared in several miniseries including Colour in the Creek (1985), Flight into Hell, Fields of Fire (both 1987) and Cassidy (1989). He also made guest appearances in Patrol Boat, A Country Practice and Special Squad.

Quast also appeared in several Australian films including Emoh Ruo (1985), Army Wives (1986, TV movie), Around the World in Eighty Ways, To Market To Market (both 1987) and The First Kangaroos (1988).

Theatre

Quast's stage success continued as he won the coveted role of Georges Seurat and his act 2 counterpart George in the original London production of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George for the Royal National Theatre.

In 1991 he won his first Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical as Georges Seurat / George. Quast was under a large amount of stress when preparing for Sunday in the Park with George, as he struggled to master Sondheim's complicated musical scores (Sondheim told him: "you don't play tennis against people you can beat."), learn to paint and sketch for the play, all while awaiting the birth of his first son, who was due five days after opening night.^[7]

In 1993 he returned to Australia to play in Sydney Theatre Company productions of William Shakespeare's Coriolanus and Sondheim's Into the Woods, in which he played The Wolf/Cinderella's Prince. He then played Dunois in Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan in the West End and on a UK tour in 1994. In 1994–96 he spent two seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company, performing as Fred/Chorus in A Christmas Carol, and King of Navarre in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, as well as Lodovico in The White Devil, Banquo in Macbeth, and Achilles in Troilus and Cressida. Before returning for a second season with the RSC, he spent some time back in Australia, performing in the national tour of The Secret Garden as Dr. Neville Craven – along with Anthony Warlow and Marina Prior. ^{[citation needed]}

Film and television

Quast continued to appear in both Australian and British television roles throughout the 1990s. In 1995 he starred in the miniseries The Damnation of Harvey McHugh as The Minister, Michael Muldoon for 13 episodes. From 1995 to 1996 he appeared as Simon Lennox in British drama series The Governor for 4 episodes, and in 1998 he played Father Pearse J. Harman in 6 episodes of Ultraviolet. In 1999 he played Cornelius in a 1999 miniseries adaptation of Cleopatra. He also had guest roles in Police Rescue, the miniseries Brides of Christ, Crime Story and Inspector Morse.

He had a sole film role in the 1990s, playing Bradley in 1999 thriller The Fall.

Musical theatre

Quast played the part of Javert on the Les Misérables Complete Symphonic Recording, and in Hey, Mr. Producer, a concert in honour of Sir Cameron Mackintosh.

Though mainly a baritone, Quast has played some roles written for tenors, namely George (see above), Candide, and Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden. Although he is known for his serious roles, he has also performed comedic parts, such as his 2004 appearance as the pompous Miles Gloriosus in a limited run revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Royal National Theatre.

Quast more recently played the supporting role of Juan Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2006 production of Evita at the Adelphi Theatre in London. He was nominated for an Olivier award for this role. In July 2007, Quast performed the role of Judge Turpin in a concert version of Sweeney Todd at London's Royal Festival Hall.^[8]

He was most recently in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles as Georges.^[9] Quast rejoined the cast of La Cage on 4 May 2009 with Roger Allam. Coincidentally, both actors have performed in the role of Javert in Les Misérables. From July 2010, he played Mr. Banks in the Australian premiere production of Mary Poppins at Melbourne's Her Majesty’s Theatre, a part Cameron Mackintosh offered to him in the bathroom of The Ivy in London. He won the 2010 Victorian Green Room Award (Melbourne's top theatre awards) for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance. He also won the 2011 Helpmann Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Mary Poppins.

In March 2014, New York audiences were treated to a special limited engagement of Sweeney Todd at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. Quast, in his New York stage debut, performed as Judge Turpin, with Bryn Terfel as Sweeney Todd and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Lovett. The show was scheduled to be broadcast as part of Live at Lincoln Center's television special in September 2014.

Theatre

In 2003, Quast appeared as Antonio in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, directed by Gale Edwards and as Trigorin in Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Steven Pimlott, both at the Chichester Festival Theatre. In 2012, he played the role of Sir Humphrey Appleby in an Australian production of Yes, Prime Minister. In August/September 2012, he performed the role of Walter Burns in Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of His Girl Friday. In November 2013 he joined Hugo Weaving and Richard Roxburgh in Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot. In May/June 2014, Quast played the role of Pastor Manders in Henrik Ibsen’s play Ghosts at the Melbourne Theatre Company directed by Gale Edwards.^[10]

Film and television

Quast has appeared in numerous television roles throughout the 2000s. In 2001 he played Michael Fielding MP in Australian satirical comedy series Corridors of Power and Tim Price in 7 episodes of Australian comedy/drama series Bed of Roses in 2010. In 2016 he played the role of Senior Constable Gordon in superhero parody series The Justice Lease as well as Lincoln Priest in legal series Janet King. In 2018 Quast appeared as Arthur Appleyard in the miniseries reimagining of the 1975 Australian Peter Weir classic Picnic at Hanging Rock. In 2020, he had two further television roles – as Professor Quentin Ratchett in comedy/drama series Operation Buffalo and as Phillip Walford in Between Two Worlds. Since 2024 he has been playing Dr Sandy Green in Australian-Indian romance/drama series Four Years Later.

He also guested in several British series including medical drama Holby City, murder mystery series Midsomer Murders, and crime drama series Silent Witness. He also had a guest role in Australian TV drama Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.

Quast appeared in several 2000s film roles. He played Richard (opposite Caroline Goodall) in British film Me & Mrs Jones (2002). He appeared as Carl alongside Wendy Hughes and Susie Porter in The Caterpillar Wish (2006), and the following year played Ronnie opposite Rebecca Gibney in Clubland. He portrayed Saddam Hussein in 2011 internationally released film The Devil's Double (alongside Dominic Cooper). Quast was in the 2015 political newsroom drama Truth playing real life politician Ben Barnes, alongside an all-star cast including Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford. He also had a part in the 2016 Mel Gibson-directed war biopic Hacksaw Ridge as Judge, which also starred Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving and Rachel Griffiths. In 2022 he played Tanner Blue in Dark Noise.

While Quast has expressed a desire to continue working in TV and film, and teach acting, he no longer intends to act in plays or musicals, because of the heavy schedule involved.^[11]