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.
With gala presentation Summertime at the Ballet, The Australian Ballet makes a triumphant return to the stage, the stellar quality testament to the sheer determination and dedication of the dancers and musicians to […]
Grandly conceived and splendidly realised, Das Rheingold sees Melbourne Opera scale new heights of grandeur.
In the new book Hanky-Panky, masterly arts historian Frank Van Straten shines the spotlight on prolific arts impresario Ernest C. Rolls, whose extravagant stage productions entertained Australia in the 1920s and 1930s.
The joy of finally returning to live theatre in Melbourne is exponentially magnified by the heart lifting humanity of the first musical to reopen, Come From Away.
Bright and brisk, David McAllister’s autobiography Soar: A Life Freed by Dance nimbly chronicles the sacrifices, setbacks and successes of a life devoted to dance. Supportively co-authored by journalist Amanda Dunn, Soar […]
A trailblazing experiment to be treasured, supported and admired, the live online season of Who’s Your Baghdaddy (or How I Started the Iraq War) is an imaginative blend of musical theatre prowess, […]
The Australian Ballet returns the mixed contemporary program to the stage, showcasing the depth of talent in the company with Volt. Bookended by an almost too well-matched pair of Wayne McGregor works, […]
The noble intention of Melbourne Theatre Company’s celebration of 50 years of David Williamson plays misfires with a bland revival of 1987 hit Emerald City, a play that proves more tepid talkfest […]
Victorian Opera begins 2020 in absolute peak form, presenting Richard Strauss’ Salome on a grand scale.
Inspiring, amusing and genuinely moving, the revival tour of Billy Elliot the Musical arrives in Melbourne with an exceptional cast in peak form.
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