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Paul
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trained at Rose Bruford in London and is an Open University graduate. Most recently, Paul played Professor Aronnax in Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, adapted by Ade Morris and directed by Will Wollen at the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor near Newbury. He also worked in Australia on a new production Brain Storm, written by Polly Toynbee. Paul played the title role in John Doyle's 25th Anniversary production of Stephen Sondheim's musical thriller Sweeney Todd, for which he received a 2005 Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. The show opened at the Watermill Theatre near Newbury in February 2004, then played at six locations on tour before transferring to London - first to the Trafalgar Studios, then the New Ambassadors Theatre, where it ran until February 2005. Paul had previously worked with John Doyle at the Swan Theatre, Worcester in a season which included The Tale of Two Cities in which he played both Carton and Darnay, and Trafford Tanzi in which he played Dean. Other regional theatre includes productions at Southwold, Dundee, Edinburgh, Manchester, Ipswich, Leicester, Windsor. Parts played include Kayama in the European première of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures at the Manchester Library theatre, directed by Howard Lloyd Lewis. Dickie in The Winslow Boy, Max in The Real Thing, Constant in The Provok'd Wife, Richard in Crystal Clear, Jim in Masterpieces, Rooster in Annie, Mr Snow in Carousel, Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew, Orin in Little Shop of Horrors, and The Gentleman Caller in The Glass Menagerie. Paul has worked extensively with the Cherub Theatre Company in the Edinburgh Festival's award-winning production of Kafka's The Trial which transferred to the Young Vic, where he has also played Judas in Barabas and Palamon in The Two Noble Kinsmen. And he has toured extensively playing Peter in A Taste of Honey, Fag in The Rivals (with Irene Handl as Mrs Malaprop) and Sir Walter Whorehound in A Chaste Maid in Cheapside (another Cherub Theatre Co production). London theatre credits include seasons at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, Ferdinand in The Duchess of Malfi at St George's Theatre, Shylock at the Lyric Studio in Hammersmith, First Whisper at the Old Red Lion, Nothing, No One, Forever at the Cockpit Theatre, Rochester in Jane Eyre, Jasper in Julian Slade's Nutmeg and Ginger at the Orange Tree, Richmond, and Antipholus in the 400th year anniversary production of The Comedy of Errors at Lincoln Inn Fields. West End productions include the 1996 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Lyceum, opening the run as a High Priest and ending the run as Pilate. The RSC production of Les Misérables (Paul sings in the Ensemble on both the 10th Anniversary Concert and the Complete Symphonic recordings). Ernst and then Cliff at the Strand Theatre in Gillian Lynn's production of Cabaret, Guy in the King's Head production of Mr Cinders (with Denis Lawson) at the Fortune Theatre, the King of France in Leonardo at the Strand. TV/Radio credits include
The Alchemist, The Innocents, Doctors, Casualty,
The Bill, Down to Earth, Trial and Error, DCI McQuiston in Taggart, Bergerac, A Touch of
Frost, Inspector Morse, Downtown Lagos, Coasting. Between acting jobs, Paul teaches at a performing arts college in London. Each year he and his actress wife Barbara Horne holiday in Suffolk, combining business with pleasure by appearing with Jill Freud's Southwold Summer Theatre Company. Most recently, Paul starred in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea at the Watermill Theatre near Newbury from April 5 to May 6, 2006.
"The versatility of the excellent cast combines dramatic acting with physical theatre and comedic mime with strong performances from all concerned." The Stage
The show itself was nominated for Outstanding Musical Production but lost out to Grand Hotel. The entire cast of Sweeney
was voted Best Ensemble by Whatsonstage in the
website's 2005 Theatregoers’
Choice Awards, with the show winning Best Musical Revival.
The cast is uniformly excellent but Paul Hegarty as Sweeney - tambour and triangle - is most surely delivering everything and more for which the director could wish. He has a powerful presence and portrays the sort of driven, sinister insanity that makes you want to run for cover. His first appearance is...well, we won't spoil it for you. You simply must go and see it. Musical Stages The title role is firmly characterised and resonantly sung by Paul Hegarty. The Stage (There are) some powerful performances, dominated by Paul Hegarty's mesmerising Todd. Whatsonstage Paul Hegarty was magnificently strong as the brooding, pallid Sweeney, eaten up with a craving for revenge and, when not slashing throats, gazing at the audience with glacial eyes as if seeking another victim. Newbury Weekly News Special mention must go to Paul Hegarty as Sweeney Todd. His stage presence is awesome, and his voice excellent. Catalyst Media Paul Hegarty delivers a strong performance as Todd, the barber seeking revenge on the judge and beadle who stole his wife and daughter. ICNetwork Paul Hegarty and Karen Mann lead as Sweeney and Mrs Lovett with delicious characterisation. Manchester Online The performances are beautifully observed. Paul Hegarty as Sweeney has the driven, curdled quality of a man consumed by revenge. Financial Times Paul Hegarty is a compellingly driven Sweeney, a man who starts off as a crusader against judicial hypocrisy and declines into an indiscriminate killer. In an acute touch here, he offers his throat for Toby to slit at the end. This is true tragedy : Sweeney's recognition he has travelled way beyond redemption. Like the production as a whole, that detail offers a triumphantly new angle on a musical masterpiece. Independent Paul Hegarty’s Sweeney has a strong and resonant voice which, at the same time, is capable of displaying the underlying emotion and despair of the demonic barber. His part in the second act quartet – Johanna - was grippingly poignant while his singing of the Epiphany had the required venom and ferocity to make it one of the highlights of the evening. indieLondon Heart-stopping is Pretty
Women as Paul Hegarty's Sweeney duets with Colin Wakefield's Judge
in a moment of unity before bloody slaughter. Brave, soaring and
thrilling theatre. Reviewsgate
Independent.co.uk : A cut-throat business» Newbury Weekly News : "It has the sort of humour that shocks you, but you laugh about it afterwards and John's re-evaluation brings out the dark Victorian fable and the morality of the piece. "Sweeney commits murders seeking revenge, but it doesn't bring him peace. Even so, among the darkness and joviality there is a moral which gives him redeeming qualities." Bringing such a gripping production to life demands intensive rehearsal and the cast work ten hours a day to get the combination of music and acting exactly right. Paul finds himself playing drums, triangle and glockenspiel for the first time - a huge learning curve in this company of talented musicians. Caroline Franklin for the Newbury Weekly News This is Wiltshire.co.uk :
Paul, now in his 40s has been acting for about 20 years. After graduating with a degree in English and Drama, he abandoned the idea of becoming a teacher and enrolled at the Rose Bruford Theatre School in London. He said: "Acting doesn't run in the family. My parents are teachers. But I have no regrets about avoiding that profession." Although he has spent years on the repertory circuit, Paul has also done TV work. His most recent role was playing a senior fire officer in the drama Doctors and he has also appeared in Casualty, Down To Earth and Taggart. Paul says he likes doing TV because it means he can live at home in London and spend more time with his wife, actress Barbara Horne, and their two teenage children. He said: "They came to see me in Sweeney but weren't scared. When I was hiding under a sheet, they said: `We could see you breathing underneath." Paul's perfect night of relaxation would involve taking his wife out to dinner. He said: "It would probably be somewhere very expensive." As for his future ambitions, he fancies starring in a sit com such as The Family, The Office or a new Blackadder.
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bravenet.com
"The production stars
Paul Hegarty as the French naturalist Professor Aronnax, who, together with
his trusty secretary, Conseil, embarks on an expedition to hunt down a sea
monster. Instead of finding the monster they discover the Nautilus, a
self-contained submarine-world, built by its enigmatic captain, Nemo. It's
here in the underwater world that they discover the ruins of Atlantis and
observe a multitude of sea creatures - but Nemo's genius is geared towards
revenge."
Helen Peacocke, Wantage & Grove Herald
Paul
Hegarty is a charismatic Sweeney - haunted, embittered and strong
voiced. As he spits out his despair in some of Sondheim's most stinging
lyrics - "There's a hole in the world like a great black pit/And
it's filled with people who are filled with shit" - you sense a man
on the very edge of reason. But Hegarty also captures the sudden flights
of beautiful lyricism in this magnificent score, though it is typical of
Sondheim that the sweetest song of all is addressed not to Sweeney's
daughter Johanna, but to his beloved razors. Daily Telegraph
A trip to Bath could put you off eating meat
pies for life. That's because Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet
Street, is coming to town. Stephen Sondheim's most macabre musical hits the Theatre Royal Bath
next week. Paul Hegarty, who will play Sweeney said: "It will leave the
audience clutching their throats. But it's a real thrill." The plot is based on the legend of a half-mad 19th century English
barber, who is driven to crime when an evil judge steals his wife and
child. Sweeney fights back and teams up with Mrs Lovett who works in a pie
shop. Mrs Lovett, played by Karen Mann, becomes the driving force behind
Sweeney's retribution, as she puts her mincing machine to murderous use.
Paul said: "There is a wonderful song about people being turned
into pies. Sweeney and Mrs Lovett are the ultimate gruesome
twosome." Directed by John Doyle, the actors also employ their musical talents.
Karen Mann plays a mean tune on the trumpet and Paul plays
percussion. He said: "My musical expertise is more limited, so I play the
triangle, drums and cymbals." By coincidence, rehearsals for the production took place at the
Newbury Racecourse, which boasts a pie and chips kiosk. One of the
props, a coffin, has also proved a source of amusement. Paul said: "Sometimes people have been left in there for too
long and forgotten about. When they bang on the lid, we know it's time
to let them out."