Surprise resident Jonathan Williams was living in the U.K. when a friend challenged him to sing a song at karaoke one night.<\/p>\n
The song his friend chose, Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston\u2019s \u201cI Will Always Love You,\u201d was not easy for a man with a deep voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did it as a joke because at that point, I wasn\u2019t even into singing,\u201d Williams recalled.<\/p>\n
A woman in the crowd who was part of a theater group that produced shows and concerts noticed Williams\u2019 voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe came up to me and said \u2018I didn\u2019t know you could sing,\u2019 Williams said. \u201cAnd I said, \u2018Nor did I.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman asked Williams to join her group \u2014 and a new career was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis just took over my life,\u201d Williams said. \u201cYou know the saying, \u2018Don\u2019t ever put your eggs all in one basket?\u2019 Well, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams, 48, is a worldwide entertainer who just happens to live in the northwest Surprise area. He is a former London West End and Broadway performer whose tenor voice landed him roles in \u201cLes Miserables.\u201d<\/p>\n
He has also staged a Las Vegas stage show with a rock band. He entertains crowds on cruise ships and now produces his rock shows for local fans at The Grand and other spots around the region.<\/p>\n
The local shows include performances of his solo production \u201cThe Jonathan Williams Show,\u201d and he tours around the area with his rock band \u201cRebel: A Classic Rock Experience,\u201d the same band who had the Vegas show.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebel\u201d will be performing in Mesa this month as Williams takes a break from back-to-back cruises where he entertained crowds with his multi-genre singing style on the high seas.<\/p>\n
Williams, a native of Wales, saw his career take off in 2003 when he decided to attend an open addition for \u201cLes Miserables\u201d in London. He surprised himself by getting the job, even though he was just part of the ensemble cast.<\/p>\n
After playing most of the male roles at some point leading up to 2011, Williams ultimately earned the lead role of Jean Valjean at a time where he met his wife, Kelly, a former actress who is his manager these days.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was an extraordinary talent that came in,\u201d said Kelly, who was also part of the cast at the time. \u201cSo, we were just like, \u2018Wow, where did this guy come from? He\u2019s insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2005, Williams was invited by Cameron McIntosh to be part of the 25th anniversary concert for \u201cLes Miserables,\u201d and he also performed in front of Queen Elizabeth.<\/p>\n
The anniversary show, which included notable acts such as Nick Jonas, was notable for Williams as he was the first person to sing in the show.<\/p>\n
The couple lived for a bit just outside London in Kent and had a son while Williams was busy putting together his rock group that would eventually move to Vegas.<\/p>\n
But before the jump to the states, the \u201cTenors of Rock,\u201d as it was then called, competed on \u201cBritain\u2019s Got Talent\u201d and \u201cX Factor,\u201d which is \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d-type show.<\/p>\n
The show featuried classic rock music from bands such as Queen, Eagles, Bon Jovi and AC\/DC.<\/p>\n
After fairing well in the competitions, the notoriety the band gained from the TV spots created demand for big tours in the U.S. and across Europe and Asia. The band even traveled to the Philippines to help open up Newport World Resorts, which was formerly the Resorts World Manila.<\/p>\n
The shows were elaborate, featuring all the bells and whistles of high-tech tours of today. It included pyrotechnics and scaffolding and became a huge international hit.<\/p>\n
After friends in Vegas saw video footage of the band, they offered it a job for a Vegas residency, leading Williams to live in the U.S. for the first time.<\/p>\n
During its five-year run, it won \u201cBest New Show In Las Vegas\u201d in the Best of Las Vegas contest and remained a top 10 show on Tripadvisor.<\/p>\n
When Williams decided he had enough of doing the Vegas show, the family moved to Arizona and he renamed his rock show \u201cRebel: A Classic Rock Experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to the international performances he still stages, he now lets local fans see the show at venues such as The Grand and The Sundial in Sun City.<\/p>\n
In the shows, Williams sings as many different genres of music as he can in 90 minutes. Among them, fans will hear rock, Broadway tunes, soul, uptempo pop and even a little opera.<\/p>\n
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