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.
More than ten years old, and not showing the slightest signs of age, Graeme Murphy’s masterful production is as vivid and thrilling as ever. Following last year’s traditional staging of perennial favourite […]
The revival of a musical might involve new sets and costumes, but the addition of new material based on further real life events makes Shane Warne the Musical even more unique than […]
As a groundbreaking theatrical spectacular, King Kong is a lavish, jaw-dropping success. As a “music theatre event,” however, it is a disappointing failure, setting the art form back 70 years.
A visit from Broadway royalty drew a Melbourne crowd who cheered just for the house lights dimming at the start. Anticipation reached fever pitch as the overture of hits played along with […]
The Australian Ballet’s only triple bill for the year, Vanguard is a celebration, through dance, of the beauty of the human body. Stripped back to sheer unitards, trunks and tights, the dancers […]
All time world musical sweetheart Julie Andrews visits Melbourne and 2000 adoring fans have one less item on their bucket list. Goodwill ambassador, children’s book author, flying nanny and singing nun, Andrews […]
Magnormos has dared to dream a big dream in transferring 2011 fringe smash hit Flowerchildren to a city stage, and Melbourne’s theatrical landscape is all the richer for it.
The funniest play on the planet finally lands in Melbourne, with the fully imported cast and production in tiptop form. This hilarious update of Goldoni’s A Servant of Two Masters is a […]
Perfectly cast and expertly realised, Nixon in China is the most artistically satisfying opera production seen on the Melbourne stage so far this year. Working in perfect synergy, the direction, design and […]
Melbourne’s insatiable theatre fans finally have their chance to taste the delectable slice of music theatre heaven that is Legally Blonde the musical. Polished to perfection in warm up seasons in a […]
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