Post by Tinechorwen on Mar 13, 2004 15:53:02 GMT 11
Aussie takes Mamma Mia role to West End
"Perth actor Lara Mulcahy played Rosie in the Australian production of Mamma Mia for nearly three years and now she is taking the role to London's West End.
Mulcahy moved to the United Kingdom two months ago, signing on for a 12 month stint in the role.
"It was bizarre," Mulcahy said of performing with a new cast in the UK.
"It has been fantastic. They are very welcoming and that was part of the joy that even though I don't know many people in London, I knew that I would be coming over straight into work and into Mamma Mia.
"It really is that theatre thing of being an instant family."
Mamma Mia was written around the music of 70s pop group Abba and includes such hits as Dancing Queen, Take a Chance On Me, Knowing Me Knowing You and Money Money Money.
The musical tells the story of a mother and daughter preparing for the daughter's wedding.
Mulcahy said working on London's West End was a dream come true.
"I had always wanted to come here and dreamt that the way to do that would be with work in hand but never really thought it would happen," she said.
"You have to be careful what you wish for. It is such a weird feeling to be able to tick that one off now."
Mulcahy, who studied drama at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and played Mome Fromage in Moulin Rouge, has been able to maintain her Australian accent in the London production.
However, the British production is different from that in Australia.
"The story, the costumes and the music is obviously all the same but because it is something that you bring a lot of yourself to, you change it with who you are acting with," she said.
Despite having played Rosie for nearly three years, Mulcahy shows no sign of being sick of the character or the musical.
"I definitely needed a break when I finished the show in Australia which was probably not so much being sick of the show as just physically needing a bit of a holiday after more than two-and-a-half years of eight shows a week," she said.
"I have had a good three-and-a-half months between finishing that and starting here."
Looking to the future, Mulcahy is hoping to share her time between the UK and Australia.
"I would love to do some sitcoms and things here," she said.
"But I will have to do some accent work to make sure my English accent is up to scratch because you need that to be able to give you a wider range of what you can do rather than just Australian characters."
"Perth actor Lara Mulcahy played Rosie in the Australian production of Mamma Mia for nearly three years and now she is taking the role to London's West End.
Mulcahy moved to the United Kingdom two months ago, signing on for a 12 month stint in the role.
"It was bizarre," Mulcahy said of performing with a new cast in the UK.
"It has been fantastic. They are very welcoming and that was part of the joy that even though I don't know many people in London, I knew that I would be coming over straight into work and into Mamma Mia.
"It really is that theatre thing of being an instant family."
Mamma Mia was written around the music of 70s pop group Abba and includes such hits as Dancing Queen, Take a Chance On Me, Knowing Me Knowing You and Money Money Money.
The musical tells the story of a mother and daughter preparing for the daughter's wedding.
Mulcahy said working on London's West End was a dream come true.
"I had always wanted to come here and dreamt that the way to do that would be with work in hand but never really thought it would happen," she said.
"You have to be careful what you wish for. It is such a weird feeling to be able to tick that one off now."
Mulcahy, who studied drama at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and played Mome Fromage in Moulin Rouge, has been able to maintain her Australian accent in the London production.
However, the British production is different from that in Australia.
"The story, the costumes and the music is obviously all the same but because it is something that you bring a lot of yourself to, you change it with who you are acting with," she said.
Despite having played Rosie for nearly three years, Mulcahy shows no sign of being sick of the character or the musical.
"I definitely needed a break when I finished the show in Australia which was probably not so much being sick of the show as just physically needing a bit of a holiday after more than two-and-a-half years of eight shows a week," she said.
"I have had a good three-and-a-half months between finishing that and starting here."
Looking to the future, Mulcahy is hoping to share her time between the UK and Australia.
"I would love to do some sitcoms and things here," she said.
"But I will have to do some accent work to make sure my English accent is up to scratch because you need that to be able to give you a wider range of what you can do rather than just Australian characters."