This Is Your Brain On Musical Theatre - 7 Questions with Lucy Durack

In 2008 the hit musical WICKED premiered in Australia. The production went on to break audience records and was seen by more than 1.5 million people across the country. In the process WICKED made stars of its two leading ladies Amanda Harrison and Lucy Durack.

Durack, a Perth native and WAAPA graduate won hearts all over Oz with her portrayal of the irrepressible Good Witch, Glinda, a role she played for the full three and a half year run of the show.

Prior to starring as Glinda, Durack appeared in MAMMA MIA! understudying the role of Sophie, and played principal roles in 42ND STREET, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, OKLAHOMA, and CAROUSEL.

An acclaimed cabaret peformer, Durack has also released a solo album, for which she wrote several of the songs. When you add her screen credits, including roles in Headland and All Saints, and her voice-over work for a series of audio books, you can see why Durack is considered one of Australia's most versatile and talented performers.

Currently starring as another irrepressible blonde, Elle Woods in LEGALLY BLONDE - The MUSICAL alongside her WICKED co-star Rob Mills, Lucy Durack has given BroadwayWorld a glimpse into her brain on musical theatre by answering our 7 questions below.

This is your brain on musical theatre - 7 Questions with Lucy Durack

Is there a particular show and/or person that first made you feel like 'this is what I want to do'?

There have been quite a few. I remember going to an Open Day at the WA Academy of Performing Arts whilst I was in high school where we were able to sit in on a rehearsal of a group of WAAPA musical theatre students who were rehearsing a brand new musical. That was completely thrilling to me and looked like just about the most amount of fun I could imagine! I also was completely inspired when I saw Idina Menzel and Helen Dallimore in Wicked in London - that experience completely blew my mind.

Can you remember the moment when you first understood that you could sing the way most others can't?

I'm still not really sure that I can. I think I've just practiced more than most - hehe! All the year 6s and 7s at my primary school were asked to audition for the WA Opera Company's production of Carmen and I'll never forget the music teacher responsible for the auditions came into my year 6 class and told us only one year 6 had been selected and it was me. I thought there must have been a mistake! I still usually think I have fluked landing most, if not all of the roles I've been lucky enough to land. It usually seems too good to be true.

Is there one night in your career that you would love to go back to and experience over again?

The opening night of Wicked in Melbourne was very exciting but quite a blur. Now that I have a good 3 and a half years of playing Glinda up my sleeve I'd love to go back and give it another go - and try to remember more of the night; take more of my own photos at the party afterwards and the like!

Is there one role that belongs to the opposite gender or a different age group that you'd secretly love to perform?

One day I would love to play Nola Boyle in The Season At Sarsparilla and I would love it if my career came full circle and I got to play Donna in Mamma Mia! later down the track.

What book/TV show/movie is a musical just waiting to happen?

Surely someone will turn Enchanted into a stage musical if they aren't already? How delightful would that be?!

Do you still sing in the shower when you sing for a living?

I warm up in the shower and when I'm not singing in a musical 8 times a week I definitely still sing in the shower - such great acoustics!

and finally, borrowing from James Lipton via Bernard Pivot:

What sound or noise do you love?

I love the sounds of crickets in summer at dusk - not to be confused with THE cricket in summer, which I'm not against but less fond of.

Lucy Durack currently stars as Elle Woods in LEGALLY BLONDE - The MUSICAL, playing at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.

Jacqueline "Rock" Bublitz is a Melbourne-based writer who saw a local production of Annie aged 5, and was never quite the same. Since that first transformative experience she has been lucky enough to experience musical theatre all over the world. Many of her favourite productions have played right on her doorstep here in Melbourne, and she loves this about her creative home town. In addition to a day job in media, Rock is currently working on her first novel, 'body, remember', where she shamelessly mines the world of musical theatre for inspiration.

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