Irish-born, Toronto-based singer Colm Wilkinson is in Alberta this week with his new show, Broadway, Christmas & Beyond.

The man who first played the role of Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera on the Toronto stage is bringing his Christmas-themed concert to Ontario later in the month and heads to Dublin in February for more sold-out shows.

In the show, he reprises songs from some of his musical hits, including Les Misérables and Jesus Christ Superstar and explores a mix of traditional tunes and pop hits as well as Christmas music.

The concert frees him to have fun with different styles of music, Wilkinson told CBC News in an interview in Toronto.

“I love audience participation and these concerts allow me to do two things. They allow me to sing songs that I want to sing. I love country songs, I love Broadway,” he said.

“There’s nothing like being in front of a live audience and getting that vibe from them and I love people to join in the singing and I love people to clap their hands.”

He is joined on stage by singers Susan Gilmour and Patricia O’Callaghan and accompanied by a seven-piece band.

Wilkinson, who played Jean Valjean on the stage in London, New York and Toronto, has a smaller role as the Bishop Myriel in the film version of Les Misérables. Hugh Jackman has the leading role as Valjean.