‘It’s so lovely to be home right now,’ says musical theatre star Caroline O’Connor

THIS musical powerhouse never stays still for long

Caroline O'Connor with her portrait by Esther Erlich at home in Bondi. Pictures: John Fotiadis

• Who: Caroline O’Connor has starred on Broadway, the West End and in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge. She is currently starring in Dream Love, r the Bobby Darin musical

• Where: Renovated terrace home in Bondi she shares with her husband

• Favourite thing: Artist Esther Erlich painted this portrait for the Archibald Prize about 15 years ago. It’s me as Velma Kelly in Chicago. It didn’t win, but I regretted that we didn’t buy it. Then my husband tracked it down and gave it to me as a birthday gift this year

• Inspiration: I always wanted lots of adventures and challenges

• Home is: My husband Barrie Shaw. He’s a musician and we’ve been living together for 30 years now. He’s incredibly supportive and very talented. I just got lucky

MUSICAL theatre star Caroline O’Connor had admired a particular Bondi terrace for a while before her husband bought it — without even telling her.

At the time, she was starring as Velma Kelly in Chicago The Musical and they were renting a flat in North Bondi.

“We used to stop at traffic lights and I would look at this little house and say to my husband, ‘That house is gorgeous’,” Caroline says. “I was at work one day doing a matinee and Barrie came in and told me he’d just done some shopping, filled the car with petrol and bought the house I liked.

“I hadn’t even been inside.”

Caroline is married to musician Barrie Shaw and their terrace has been renovated over the years, with an open-plan living space, new kitchen and timber floors.

AT HOME WITH MICHELLE LANGSTONE

“We don’t spend enough time here but it’s so lovely to be home right now,” Caroline says.

“I’m doing my potted plants, the weather’s beautiful and where we are situated is pretty perfect. My mum, my sister and my brother are here, so I get to spend time with them too.”

The pair are currently at the Lyric Theatre stage for Dream Lover, the story of pop star Bobby Darin, starring David Campbell.

While Barrie is part of the show’s 18-piece big band, Caroline stars in two key roles in the Simon Phillips-directed show — playing both Bobby’s grandmother Polly and Sandra Dee’s mother Mary.

Caroline and Barrie will head to the US early next year, with Caroline to star as Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevich in a Broadway production of Disney’s Anastasia.

* Dream Lover plays at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre until November 13

Glass and marble eggs: I didn’t mean to become a collector of these but I did a show called Funny Girl about 17 years ago and in the play Nicky Arnstein gives a gift of a blue marble egg. So my producer Jimmy Pratt bought me a magnificent glass egg and my dresser bought me one and so on. They’re very pretty.

Tiffany jewellery case: I can’t stand wearing jewellery when I fly.

Autobiographies and biographies: Many of these books are about the ladies I have played
on stage.

Plays and awards: These three original plays that I starred in had their world premieres
in Australia. They are Bombshells, Scarlett O’Hara At The Crimson Parrot and End Of The Rainbow. The Helpmann Awards are for Anything Goes last year, The Old Piaf and End Of The Rainbow.

Perfume: White Linen perfume by Estee Lauder is my trademark scent. People know when I’m around.

Eiffel Tower stand: I have a crazy obsession with Paris. I’ve worked there a few times and I feel a real affinity with the city.

Handbag: It’s from Louis Vuitton and it was a gift from my husband Barrie. I love Louis Vuitton bags and wallets, I like the fact they look good for so many years.

Cushions: I love cushions and throws. The one that says Tres Bombshell is quite cute. I bought that one for Johanna Murray-Smith as well because she wrote a play I was in called Bombshells.