Rob Guest

A very special man.

Born in England, essentially a Kiwi, but latterly lost to Australia with its bigger entertainment scene, Rob Guest died today, aged 58.

From "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat" in Matamata, with Angela Taverner as narrator, to Phantom of the Opera, Rob Guest was more than a singer, more than a star. His pleasant voice was perhaps less than great; his interpretation of the roles superb.

He had charisma, was special. Dare I say that I thought he was a simple, good person? To see him off stage, to watch him mix with children, was to see a genuinely decent, ordinary but charismatic person who happened to have a wonderful voice and the gift of being an entertainer.

My favourite performance in any musical or opera I have ever seen has to be Rob Guest as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables". "Music of the Night " might be more famous, but the songs from "Les Mis" carry much more content for me.

The world needs more people like him; how sad that he was taken from us too soon.