Musical!

Wow…this is different…me writing a blog.

I sure missed blogging…and my avid reader Olivia probably did too.

I feel I need to get something down regarding what's going through my mind as I get ready to perform the role of Kate Monster in Brisbane Arts Theatre's Avenue Q (tickets here).

It's a role I've always wanted to play, closely followed by Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, or the fiercely fighting fit Brooke Wyndham from the same show, Kathy Selden from Singin' in the Rain, Mary Poppins from err...and if I can somehow get a good enough tan and resemble a boy -  Simba from The Lion King. 

So, as you can imagine, playing Kate Monster is a massive win for me and I thought I'd just run through a few of my odd performing moments that have gotten me to this point. 

It all began with a very special moment in grade three.

With Kate Monster. 

I was performing with my sister Katie in a jazz ballet concert. There were two dances to perform - a snippet from The Wizard of Oz and a lovely sparkly girly jazzy number.

I really wanted the part of Dorothy, and as luck would have it (pretty much then and for a number of years later) I got the fifth best thing. I was given the coveted role of …wait for it… The Coroner. I must have won the role in a 'dead heat' …

So …taking the role very seriously I worked on my lines day and night and when the very special day came my brother, Nicholas, decided to help me by demonstrating his newly found special effects make up skills.

He painted a beard on my face so I could really get into the character of the little munchkin coroner.

Thanks Nick.

For a 10-year-old, Nick's skills were impeccable. Within five minutes, I actually believed I was a coroner because of the excellent beard that resembled a 10 day growth. I couldn't wait to show my fellow dancing colleagues the wise beard which made me, as an eight-year-old look at least 38 with three kids.

Now I've trawled through the Butterworth archives and found the pic of me with the make up, here you go:

So when I rocked up to St Thomas More's Hall, with my head held high, the reaction was far from what I'd expected.

The consensus on my beard was that it was a rather excellent beard, made up by the intricacy of each beard swirl, however, what my little friend told me stopped me in my tracks.

"MAREE! The glitzy girly number is first!!!" 

Oh.

There wasn't time to replace the face paint with lipstick and glitter, so I had to grin 'beard' it.

It really was ok because during this number I dropped my sparkly hat over my eyes and couldn't see what I was doing or the reactions from the audience or my parents as they held their heads in their hands, or Nick sniggering gleefully to himself for mastering the perfect fix-up at the ripe age of 10. 

Fast forward about seven years and I managed to score myself an ensemble role in Chicago at The Empire Theatre. I was only 15 and was the youngest in the cast and might have been a bundle of nerves. On opening night I was so excited to be part of this show that I moved too quickly after the opening scene where me and about five others were holding newspapers with the headlines of 'murder', 'murder', 'greed' etc scrolled throughout. As I moved upstage I ran right into the scrim curtain as it was going up to unveil the second scene.

Maybe four years later, I decided to audition for Sweet Charity at the same theatre. While most people have their awkward teenage years from 13 - 16 - I got mine around 17-18-19…actually…this is probably ongoing.

My mum had just been to London and went to see Phantom of the Opera on the West End. She brought me back a shirt that said 'Prima Donna'. I wasn't really sure what that meant…so decided to wear it to an audition…it was a musical theatre audition after all and from what I knew, Phantom of the Opera was kind of in this genre. 

Performing with my mate Toni Erasmus with
Boutique Theatre,
London, 2010. 

"Love the outfit…" the director said with a sideways glance to his fellow panelists. "So are you a Prima Donna?"

Now…back then I wasn't as much of a musical theatre devotee as I am now and hadn't seen many musicals because I'd been focused on my journalism degree. 

I responded in the worst possible way, "Um…kind of." I probably Googled the word later - placing my head in my hands as my parents had done when their bearded daughter tried to gracefully do a step-ball-change.

Oh…and if we're going into ridiculous things that have happened during other performing arts endeavours, we could go back to the unfortunate incident when the casting directors got more than they bargained for when I was auditioning for an ad last year. They politely asked me to take off my shirt to reveal my bikini to simulate a beachside situation (revisit this horrible moment for everyone here).

Birdy & I in The Addams Family Musical,
Brisbane Arts Theatre, 2014 

Around the same time I was performing in The Addams Family Musical and came on stage for a tap number and slipped over catching myself with my arm, which would spasm for the entire week later. I was performing in the ensemble as the dead bride that cries all the time so easily worked a slip and fall into my character. 

But of course there's been the awesome, less painful moments!

For instance, what's stuck with me most is how my director for Chicago once told me the wise words, "It's good to be nervous - it means you have something to give." It's a wonderfully refreshing thought after your fifth nervous pee.

Performing on the West End's Leicester Square Theatre as part of our college graduation show was also a highlight. Just strutting to the the theatre for the performances as if I did this theatre business thing for real was good enough for me! 

In the same year I worked with a London burlesque group, Boutique Theatre, combining my love for tap dancing and singing. A cool memory was mastering a tricky but cool tap and salsa hybrid my mate Toni choreographed. 

Grease with the Empire Theatre, alongside 
Danny (Tim Carter)
2005

Getting accidentally super fit performing in PRIMA's Legally Blonde earlier this year was also great. In training for that musical there were many times when I went to pick up a glass of water and underestimated my strength and accidentally threw it over my head when I thought I was raising it to my mouth. 

…and the blonde thing reminds me of when I was Sandy in Grease about 10 years ago and all the cool experiences that have happened since. 

All these things have led me to this point - a culmination of the unpredictable moments that make up live theatre. 

It all reminds me how much I absolutely love it and couldn't imagine doing anything else…and hopefully I can one day make a career of it. 

As I remember the good, as well as the moments which could resemble a blooper reel, I wonder…how will the Avenue Q season go?

We'll all have to wait and see. 

(Sorry friends…that was much more cornier than usual…) 

PS. My dates for Avenue Q are below and you can catch my fellow Kate Monster, the super talented Lara Boyle on the other nights! Book here. 

OCT - Thurs 22, Fri 23, Thurs 29
NOV - Fri 6, Sun 8, Thur 12, Sat 14, Fri 20, Sat 21, Thur 26, change of date to Sat 28 (was Fri 27). 
DEC - Sat 5, Sun 6, Fri 11, Thurs 17, Sat 19