How did your passion for music develop?

Music was a great way to connect with my siblings who were much older than me, I was constantly singing along to songs on the radio, and the records they and my parents played, even before I could talk properly. We were not a classical music family by any stretch, so my early influencers were whatever was on the radio in the late 80s/90s. Paul Simon, Madonna, Belinda Carlisle. My sister introduced me to movie musicals Grease and The Sound of Music, which I adored and watched on repeat, and the 90s gifted us the Jesus Christ Superstar production with Kate Ceberano, John Farnham and Jon Stevens.
That “Everything’s Alright” film clip is burned in to my memory. Along with Amigos Para Siempre!! Lloyd Webber made quite the early imprint. \ Out of the blue I decided to play violin and played that quite seriously throughout childhood in to my early 20s which opened up a deeper world of musical appreciation to me that I’m very thankful for. I especially loved orchestral playing and even did a few musicals from the pit through high school for the amateur companies in Geelong.

Who are some of your favourite singers/composers and why?

Rodgers and Hammerstein, David Yazbeck, Stephen Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, Cole Porter, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Leonard Bernstein, Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields. Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Julie Andrews, Kelli O’Hara, Audra McDonald, Jessie Mueller.

Why? Their melodies. And these singers carrying those melodies with such dedication and authenticity and vulnerability.

Could you share a few of your favourite songs that you’ll be performing during the event?

What I Did For Love from A Chorus Line, definitely some Rodgers and Hammerstein, She Used To Be Mine from Waitress.

Are there any specific memories or experiences associated with the songs you’ll be performing that you’d like to share with the audience?

I’m not an exceptional dancer and would never be cast in A Chorus Line, so seeing the show is seeing a musical I can really escape in to. When I last saw the production in 2012, tears streamed down my face during What I Did For Love.

How do you approach interpreting and bringing your own unique style to the songs you’ll be performing?

Once all the rote learning of lyrics and melody is done, there’s a kind of marinating process that happens, and the character who is singing begins to form, and take over! Musical theatre lyrics can be so evocative and character driven, so I get taken on some wonderful journeys with every new piece of repertoire learned.

Can you discuss the process of selecting the repertoire for this performance? Where do you draw inspiration from?

Some choices I’ve made as a performer – songs that are fulfilling to bring life to that I’ve encountered in my work over the years. Some choices come from my sheer love of and fascination with musical theatre!