'42ND STREET' was my first ever musical. I audition at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne in what is called the cattle calls. I was 16 years old and was still studying ballet and had never been exposed to tap dancing. However this particular show happens to be the biggest ever tap musical. I arrived in my all in one ballet unitard, canvas ballet shoes and had braces on my teeth. I blagged a time step but tore up the ballet combination. Surprisingly, the shows writer/director Mark Bramble recalled me to sing. The only song I knew was Corner of the Sky from Pippin. My heart visibly pounded through my chest as I nervously began the song. Max Lambert, who was the pianist, gave me a smile and a wink and something clicked and before I knew it I was belting out the song with gusto and made the final cut. Two very long weeks later I was offered a contract and moved to Sydney to do the show where my life was to change dramatically, forever!


'MY FAIR LADY' with Anthony Warlow as Dr. Doolittle for the Victorian State Opera brought me back home to Melbourne. Although it’s a classic, for the ensemble it’s rather boring. You have these enormous periods between musical numbers where we could order a pizza delivery while we waited to go back on! The costumes and sets were elaborate and changing from cockney to aristocracy during the show was always good fun. The dance numbers by Nancye Hayes were intensely energetic but my favourites will always be the grand waltz, on a revolving stage, at the ball and the stunning Ascot Gavotte.


'WEST SIDE STORY' would have to be one of the few real masterpieces in the musical theatre repertoire. Created by Jerome Robbins, composed by Leonard Bernstein, book by Arthur Laurents and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim it’s a show packed with some of the most beautiful music every written. This show was revolutionary for its time and broke new ground with the way musicals were to be performed. The choreography by Robbins is, in my opinion, the real star of the show. As a classically trained dancer it was such a joy and challenge to perform. Not only were you pushed to your physical limits through dance but Robbins demanded that characterization and acting was the most important aspect of the show. The fight sequences were exhilarating and often caused injuries due to testosterone fuelled adrenalin surges.

I first did West Side Story in America when I was only 19 years old. I was cast as a Shark and had the most amazing time travelling around the USA. I was then cast a few years later, in the Australian Ian Judge production as a Jet and understudy to Riff. I went on to perform Riff many times and to this day remains one the highlights of my theatrical career.


'KIZMET' is described as An Arabian Nights Musical. I played many character parts starting as a whirling dervish in the opening scene, beggar 1, a market thief, Sultan’s guard, and principal soloist. If you have tried to be a whirling dervish you will appreciate just how difficult it is to keep spinning on the spot for 10 minutes and then go straight into a dialogue scene without appearing as though you are going to throw up the entire contents of your stomach! This show is probably one of the campest musicals ever written. The amount of makeup changes I had to undergo for my many parts became a source of amusement. Over the course of the run I had developed an addiction to buying all sorts of new makeup from Eckerd Drug Store. Sometimes the only way to get through a long run is to apply more makeup!


'CATS' is one of those musicals you either love or detest. Personally I loved performing in it because as an actor you had to explore being a cat. Taking on the physicality of an animal was very rewarding but excruciatingly difficult. Without a doubt this is one of the most demanding shows ever conceived. For 8 shows a week you had to apply intricate makeup and wigs, wear a full form fitting lycra cat suit and for two and a half hours non stop, sing and dance and crawl and behave like a cat. Sometimes you loved it sometimes it was too much. Ultimately, the show allowed you to go as far as you wanted in your exploration of being a cat. The choreography by Gillianne Lynne is some of the hardest you’ll ever see in a musical. My time on Cats is full of hysterical anecdotes and wonderful memories and I am honoured to be amongst a very select few that were hand picked by Gillianne Lynne and Andrew Lloyd-Webber to commit it to film in 1997.


'OKLAHOMA!' At the Royal National Theatre was Trevor Nunn’s first musical as Artistic Director and starred a then virtual unknown, Hugh Jackman as Curley. To have been cast in a RNT production is considered, in theatre, as being at the top of your game. Susan Stromann created the show’s imaginatively clever choreography and to work with such a pro was a huge learning experience. The cast were such fun and the atmosphere working at the National is akin to being at home with your extended family at Christmas! Very rarely do you join a cast where everyone is incredibly talented and committed to working together to create an amazing show. This is largely down to the genius that is Trevor Nunn. He is without a doubt my favourite director. He understands every aspect of theatre and has great respect and love for his cast. He makes you feel safe to explore your instincts and knows how to bring out your best. He is painstakingly meticulous about telling the story and I have learnt more from him than any other director. This particular revival redefined OKLAHOMA! Gone were the typical gingham and checks of an imaginary wild west, instead Nunn successfully created a real picture of the harsh conditions experienced by the landers and cowboys who pioneered the mid-west. This production was to be hailed a triumph by critics and audiences alike, winning many awards. However, the greatest accolade was when the Rogers and Hammerstein estate stated that this production was exactly how their fathers’ always wanted it. You will be hard pressed to find anyone who could have made a revival better than the original, but that is the genius of Trevor Nunn.


'CHICAGO' was a dream come true. I had grown up inspired by the works of Bob Fosse and longed to be in one of his shows. Sadly Bob died before I was old enough to work so when I was cast in this new version by Ann Reinking I felt as though it was as close as I’ll ever get. I was fortunate to be apart of the take over company, which means we were the second cast to do it. My most cherished memory will be when the legendary Chita Rivera joined our company to play Roxy Hart. It isn’t everyday you get to work with your idol and this one exceeded my expectations. “Mama” as we endearingly called her, gave us so much. Generous of heart and spirit, we were privy to a master-class in theatre every show. She is the first lady of Broadway and a true star. Back in 1998, Chicago was full of proper, talented, performers who were right for the parts. Unfortunately today, the show has become a West-End factory where celebrity reality TV types demean the whole magic of what should be an incredible theatrical experience. I often wonder what the great late Fosse would think of his beloved show, if he saw it today?

'DAMES AT SEA' was my first West End lead role playing Dick. This sublime 30’s pastiche pays loving homage to all those great Warner Brothers movie musicals that I certainly grew up on. The show only has a cast of 6 and takes you on an absurd Cinderella journey that delivers loads of laughs. However, the rehearsal process was fraught with problems because the director, John Gardine from the Royal Shakespeare Company, didn’t understand that it was a send up and insisted that we played it straight. This not only went against all our instincts but as a cast we knew we were in deep shit. With only 3 days left until opening night we had to do a full dress run for the producers and the writer, Robin Miller. You could have cut the air with a knife after the curtain came down. No laughs- nothing! Morale was very low in our dressing rooms and spurred by our naivety and desperation, Jo Farrell and I went to find the shows writer, Robin Miller to ask for advice. We found him in the stalls bar and poured our hearts out. He is such an incredible humanitarian and he rallied the whole cast together and reworked the entire show in 3 days so we could still make our opening night! To our astonishment the show received great reviews and the audiences loved it. I will never forget Robin’s unfailing support and belief in us as a cast. He still remains one of my closest friends and I love him dearly.

'LADY BE GOOD' is the 1920’s Gershwin classic written for Fred and Estelle Astaire. I was asked to perform the comedy role of Bertie Bassett and choreograph the entire production for the prestigious La Fenice Opera House in Venice, Italy in 2000. This was to be the first time any opera house in Italy had mounted its own musical. I spent 6 weeks living and working in this romantic city and it was such an enriching life experience. Working with the Opera was definitely an act of patience. The Opera chorus only “park and bark”, which means they stand on stage and sing. La Fenice is world renown for its incredible voices and the Italians are a very proud people. They were hard to win over at first because they would not sing and dance at the same time. Eventually, my assistant Zoe Hardman and I earned their trust and respect as they became excitable children. Never has a musical sounded as great as these operatic voices gave a whole new life to the Gershwin score. The 90 piece philharmonic orchestra was probably too big a sound for the show but was brilliantly conducted by the inimitable Kevin Farrell. The show was such a success that we were invited to mount it in Lisbon at the San Carlos Opera, Portugal. Spending 4 weeks in this city of faded glory was wonderful but presented its own trials and tribulations. Mounting a musical is never easy but negotiations broke down between the producers and the director so I was left to perform, choreograph and direct this version. As stressful as it was I grew so much from this as I learnt to trust my instincts and honed my directing skills.


'CHICAGO: BALBAAK FESTIVAL LEBANON' was an unforgettable experience. We were a hand picked cast of mainly ex cast members of the West End version. We were all good friends and being taken to Lebanon was thrilling. The venue was an outdoor theatre set amongst majestic, ancient Roman ruins an hour north of Beirut in Balbaak. Probably the most spectacular setting I’ve ever worked in. I was playing Fred Casely opposite Caroline O’Conner’s Roxy which was such a delight. She is one of the most talented triple threats around and a good friend. We had worked together years ago in West Side Story and she asked me to be in her one woman show in Sydney, but this was to be the first time we had done a musical together in almost 10 years!(We both started very young). We weren’t sure how the themes or skimpy costumes would go down in a predominantly Muslim country. Whilst we were technically rehearsing the show we had militia standing guard with loaded Uzis, which was a little disconcerting. Any fears we had we allayed after opening night as the audience of three thousand rushed the stage for our curtain calls throwing flowers and cheering. It was a goose-flesh moment for all of us. What amazed me more than anything was their sense of irony and their sharp sense of humour. Compared with the docile audiences of the West End, the Lebanese were very astute and enthusiastically responsive. For a city that was devastated by civil war for 10 years it was so cosmopolitan and alive. Today it is tragic that once again it is under attack. My thoughts are with the very hospitable people of Lebanon. I pray that peace will once again prevail.


'ANYTHING GOES' was to be Trevor Nunn’s farewell musical for the RNT. I was asked if I wanted to do it and naturally agreed. Once again he and the show’s brilliant choreographer Stephen Mear managed to assemble a first rate cast of truly talented performers. We rehearsed for 9 weeks, which is unheard of for a musical, but John Gunter’s gargantuan set was very complex and required much consideration. I had the most fantastic time performing in this most perfect of musicals. Cole Porter’s infectious score and witty lyrics defies anyone not to sing and dance. No matter if I was having a bad day, once the orchestra struck-up the overture, conducted by the unique musical genius that is Gareth Valentine, I couldn’t wait to get out there and perform. It really helps to be in good company when you have to perform the same show eight times a week and this cast had the best camaraderie of any I’d been in. Sally Ann Triplett played Reno Sweeney and you couldn’t ask for a more talented and down-to-earth leading lady with vocal cords of steel. John Barrowman played Billy Crocker and besides being a huge talent he is probably the best fun you could ever have and great for company morale. But the highlight was working with the great master of theatre, Denis Quilley, who played Eli Whitney. When you work with true Old School you learn so much if you are intelligent enough to see their greatness. This was to be Denis’s last show before he sadly passed away and I am forever grateful to him for his love and support during this magical run. A bright star went out in the West End the day Denis died, but those whose lives he touched will be enriched forever.