Todd Woodbridge’s son didn’t follow dad’s footsteps. He walked into a lead role instead

Beau Woodbridge admits he is the “odd one out” in his very sporty family, but the son of tennis great Todd Woodbridge will soon be centre stage – if not centre court – when he takes on the lead role in the Australian premiere of the hit Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.

“There are no musicians as such in my family, my whole family and extended family are very sport-orientated,” says Beau, whose aunt and uncle Nicole and Mark Bradtke are former tennis and basketball champions, while his cousin Austin Bradtke played for the Melbourne Demons.

Beau Woodbridge, the son of tennis star Todd Woodbridge, has landed the lead role in Sydney Theatre Company’s production of the musical Dear Evan Hansen.Credit: James Brickwood

“But we’ve always loved theatre and I have travelled a lot with my family, due to work and all those things in sport, and one thing that we’ve always been about is experiencing culture wherever we go, and theatre is a big part of that.

“My parents were … definitely not pushing me into any career at all, so when I said, ‘I want to do singing’, at a young age, they were like, ‘Yeah, sure, give it a go.’”

Produced by the Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group, Dear Evan Hansen is the story of a shy teenager who becomes a social media sensation when he tells a terrible lie. Woodbridge – who looks and even sounds like his dad – plays Evan, and it is the 21-year-old’s first lead role as an adult after landing his first professional gig at eight.

“My mum [Natasha] would drive me to my performing arts school about five or six nights a week every day after school and on the weekend because it was what I wanted to do,” says Woodbridge, who grew up in Melbourne and has just completed his masters in musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Baby Beau is held by his dad Todd Woodbridge as the Australian Davis Cup team celebrate their 2003 win in Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images

He was with his mum, too, when he first saw Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, when he was just 14. “We turned to each other at the end, and we just cried and looked at each other going, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It was very moving in both ways, sadness and joy.”

The musical garnered a loyal following from the moment it opened in New York in 2016 for its discussion of difficult topics such as suicide and anxiety. The New York Times called it a “gorgeous heartbreaker”, while devoted fans turned up to performances in striped blue polo shirts to match the character of Evan.

It went on to win six Tony awards, including best new musical, as well as a Grammy for best cast album and an Olivier Award for its London production. The Broadway production closed in 2022 after 1699 performances, with producers blaming continuing soft ticket sales after COVID, as well as a lukewarm response to the 2021 film adaptation.

So the pressure is there, but Woodbridge seems happy to shrug it off, even offering the advice his father probably mentioned over the dinner table a few times.

“Something I’ve learned from him is definitely the hard work and putting in the hard yards,” says Woodbridge. “And he definitely taught me how to approach things. I mean, sport and the entertainment industry, they’re not that dissimilar in training. You have to love what you do when you have to do those 10,000 hours of good practice to be a professional.”

And while Woodbridge was only three when his father retired from tennis in 2005 – with 83 doubles titles and an Olympic gold medal to his name – it’s only now that he realises how good his dad actually was.

“Earlier this year I was at Wimbledon, and was lucky enough to go and watch some [games] and you pass the winner’s boards, and there’s dad’s name about nine times,” he says. “And I’m like, ‘That’s pretty impressive.’ But it’s hard to compare because I wish I could be as good at tennis as well, but I’m sure he wishes he could do what I do.”

So, can Todd sing?

“He really thinks that he can,” says Woodbridge. “And he’s not terrible. But I wouldn’t go as far to say that you should book him in the next show.”

Dear Evan Hansen is at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney, from October 12 and the Playhouse Theatre, Melbourne, from December.

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