I have appeared in about 40 productions over the past forty years. Favourite roles include Eugene Fodor and Junior in (separate productions of) Crazy for You, Mr Fox in Mack and Mabel, Max in The Sound of Music, Freddy in My Fair Lady, Julio in Paint Your Wagon, Marcellus in The Music Man and Grantaire in Les Miserables.
I have directed several school productions. I choreographed Urinetown and Little Shop of Horrors, then went on to direct Hot Mikado and the Australian premiere of 13. I have since gone on to direct/choreograph The Music Man Jr and Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr.
At my next school, I was Head of Productions, overseeing up to a dozen productions each year and directing another seven musicals, including The Music Man, Brigadoon and How To Succeed in Business Without really Trying.
I reviewed music theatre and opera for Theatre People and the Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne). I served on the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Committee for five years as Treasurer and was on the Board of The Opera Studio Melbourne.
I am a keen audience member, having seen 58 shows in six weeks in a 2012 trip to New York, as well as 57 shows during 6 weeks in London/Europe earlier the same year.
I hope you enjoy reading the news and reviews at Man in Chair. I would love to hear your thoughts on the shows covered here so please feel free to leave your comments.
Proving that lightning can indeed strike the same place twice, Victorian Opera’s concert presentation of La Sonnambula was another unforgettable evening of bel canto brilliance showcasing superstar soprano Jessica Pratt.
Emotionally sharp, gorgeously sung and spectacular to behold, Opera Australia’s new Carmen is a production to be treasured.
With years of experience on the musical theatre stage, the time is right for Kane Alexander to release his second album, Different Stages: The Broadway Album, a collection of Broadway’s most popular […]
Although its timeless quality and eerily prescient politics make Cabaret ripe for revival, a proliferation of poor directorial choices derails the promise of this new production.
Adding another layer to Melbourne’s burgeoning independent opera scene, BK Opera distinguishes themselves with a fine performance of Massenet’s romantic tragedy Werther.
The Shanghai Ballet’s highly traditional production of Swan Lake is distinguished by the exquisite use of a huge corps de ballet of angelic dancers.
Shining, shimmering, splendid, Aladdin transports audiences on a magic carpet ride to a whole new world of kaleidoscopic intensity.
Less is so much more as revered musical Sunday in the Park with George returns to Broadway. The staging may be partial, but the music, humour and heart are all there in […]
Highly original in style and extraordinarily exuberant in performance energy, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 is a fresh, exciting and affecting new musical.
A glossy, if rather slender, new musical, War Paint is a chance to luxuriate in the performances of a pair of Broadway’s greatest divas. Two-time Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and Christine […]
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