‘Role of my lifetime’: Zoe Ventoura to star in Chicago the musical

Packed to the Rafters star Zoe Ventoura is set to blaze a trail across Australia next year in the lead role in one of the world’s favourite musicals.

Zoe Ventoura is having a full circle moment. The Packed to the Rafters star is coming back to the stage to star in Chicago, which will come to Sydney’s Capitol Theatre next year at the end of a national tour.

The mother of one will shine as Velma, the character made famous by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the film adaptation of the worldwide hit. The show’s Sydney run will be the first time Ventoura has stepped foot on the Capitol stage since her first ever musical theatre debut 15 years ago.

“I’m still pinching myself, to be honest,” Ventoura tells Insider this week.

“It’s a dream role – and I trained as a dancer, so it’s coming full circle for me to going back to my dance roots and back to music theatre, and to be doing this role – in this show, with this incredible cast – I can’t quite believe it.

“I’m just really, really excited.”

Zoë Ventoura to star in Chicago. Picture: Juliet Taylor

A Sydney-based Ventoura shares almost four-year-old son Austin with ex-husband and fellow actor Daniel MacPherson, who is currently living in Melbourne to star in stage thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story.

She says the logistics of whether Austin comes with her for Chicago’s anticipated national tour – which starts with Perth in November, followed by Queensland in January, Melbourne in March and Sydney from June – are still being worked out.

And like any single parent, that juggle is real.

“It will be a bit of everything to be honest,” she says of getting through the next year.

“Like anyone who’s juggling life and kids and all the things – it’s always a juggle, but mainly I’m just very excited to get started and enjoy the work and enjoy the adventure of it, because I think it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m just really grateful that it’s come my way.

“The logistics we’re still working out though.”

Zoe Ventoura with son Austin. Picture: Instagram

MacPherson recently told Insider he was incredibly proud of the way he and Ventoura had navigated the three years since the couple’s divorce.

The pain of separation, struggles of co-parenting and introducing new partners into the mix isn’t easy – but having come out the other side stronger, both are experiencing profound personal and career resurgences.

“Thankfully, I’ve got a wonderful relationship with Austin’s mum, and we do a lot of stuff together, as well as individually,” MacPherson told Insider before the show opened in June.

“It’s so special, and that’s gauged by the smile on his face.

“He’s healthy, and he loves his mum and he loves his dadda – and his mum and I look at each other and go ‘we’re doing it right’.

“And that’s all taken real maturity … I’m really proud of where all the relationships in my life have ended up at this point in my life – and that’s taken a lot of work.”

Co-parents Dan MacPherson and Zoe Ventoura before they split.

While notoriously private about her personal life, Ventoura feels the same.

“I’m really happy with where my life is out at the moment and the way that’s all going,” she says.

“I’m really grateful and really happy with everything.”

Another part of her life she’s grateful for was having the opportunity to do recent production La Cage Aux Folles, which gave her the confidence to go for the all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza that is Chicago.

“I can sing – I just haven’t done it for a really long time,” she laughs.

“Going into La Cage I felt was like dipping my toe in the water – it had been 14 or 15 years since I’d been on stage singing or dancing, so that was a bit of a gauge … dusting off those skills to see if they were still there.

“And I was pleasantly surprised, to be honest.

Zoe Ventoura on stage in La Cage Aux Folles. Picture: Instagram

“I was like ‘OK, there’s still something there’ – so I don’t think I would have even gone for this audition if I hadn’t done La Cage.

“I wouldn’t have had the confidence to go for this particular role, or this particular show – there’s no way I would have gone for it, because it’s just been so long since I’ve done it.

“But I’m really glad I did.”

Before La Cage, she had a recurring role in Taika Waititi’s Time Bandits and, of course, broke hearts when she played the terminally-ill Kassie in the final series of Doctor Doctor for the Nine Network.

Prior to that, Ventoura says she was honoured to be asked to play Alex Neilson in Home And Away’s first same-sex love story.

Nominated for two TV Week Logie Awards for her lead role as Miki Mavros in the SBS comedy series Kick, her other screen credits include Hyde and Seek opposite Matt Nable, a guest appearance on the fourth season of Love Child and Underbelly Files: Chopper.

She still loves TV but, on stage, she’s at home. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Dance, she even performed in several seasons for Opera Australia, and toured nationally in musicals like Grease – The Arena Spectacular and Footloose.

“This role in particular though, really is a dream role,” Ventoura continues.

“It’s such an iconic show.

Hugh Sheridan and Zoe Ventoura in Packed To The Rafters.

“Everybody loves Chicago – the film version was incredible and the stage show is like the longest running show on Broadway.

“I always wanted to be a dancer growing up.

“The singing kind of came. I always did music because my family is musical – my father is a musician, my brother’s a musician – so I’ve always learned music and played music through my life, but until I accidentally fell into a musical in my early 20s, then I started to work on it and cultivate it, and doing it onstage eight times a week for those few years that I was doing music theatre.

“But I wasn’t one of those show kids at family gatherings or anything,” she laughs.

While rehearsals are yet to start, Ventoura started her own vocal, physical and dance preparation the day after she got the call for Chicago.

“I got the call and the next day I was like ‘OK, I’ve got work to do – let’s go’,” she laughs.

“I think I would say it was disbelief for actually a little while – it took it took a couple of days, maybe even a couple of weeks,” she says of the news sinking in.

The cast of Chicago – Asabi Goodman, Zoe Ventoura, Anthony Warlow, Lucy Maunder and Peter Rowsthorn. Picture: Juliet Taylor

“I was hoping I would get it, but I didn’t expect to get it – so it was a shock – it was overwhelming.

“I’ve started preparing in terms of physical training to get up my strength and stamina, and vocal training to get up my stamina vocally, because it’s a big role and a big show, and when you’re doing it eight times a week and touring almost the entire country … so I’m just working on that stuff so that I can step into the first day of rehearsals and be ready to jump into character.”

Ventoura will be joined on stage by the cream of the musical theatre crop. One of Australian theatre’s greatest leading men, Anthony Warlow, will step into the shoes of the

cunning and charismatic lawyer Billy Flynn, while Lucy Maunder, currently playing Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins, will take on the famed role of the irreverent Roxie Hart.

As Roxie’s gullible and hapless husband, Amos, will be much-loved comedy icon and character actor Peter Rowsthorn, who you’ll recognise as long-suffering husband Brett from Kath & Kim.

“I am extremely excited to be to be working with this particular cast. I mean, Anthony Warlow is an icon of Australian theatre and Lucy is an incredible talent – and Pete is obviously an Australian comedic icon, so the show, by itself, is incredible,” she says.

But to be working alongside this cast – I feel very grateful and very excited to get stuck in with everybody.

Zoe Ventura is feeling “very, very lucky”. Picture: Richard Dobson

“It does feel like my entire career and entire life and training has been so diverse that it has led to this kind of role because this role encompasses the acting, the singing and the dancing, and it all culminates in this kind of role.

“In that sense it really does feel like my career has come full circle.”

In particular, it has been a journey that’s led her home.

“I can’t wait to bring it back to Sydney – it will be really special to bring it home,” she says.

“My very first music theatre show when I was 20 was at the Capitol Theatre and I haven’t performed there since, so it really is like coming back, and that’s really special.

“The sun is shining and it’s just glorious out there – how lucky are we?

“I’m feeling very, very lucky today.”

Tickets go on pre-sale tomorrow in Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne, with general public tickets on sale from Friday. There is a waitlist on line for Sydney tickets when the show opens on June 9 next year. www.chicagomusical.com.au

Originally published as ‘Role of my lifetime’: Zoe Ventoura to star in Chicago the musical