Laura Murphy and Jacob Warner help bring comedy and friction Muriel’s Wedding the Musical
Muriel’s Wedding the Musical returns to Sydney with a gala opening on Thursday night
Laura Murphy, in a glamorous gown with a thigh-high split and a mass of blonde curls, and Jacob Warner, in short shorts and thongs, are bringing Tania Degano and Perry Heslop to life at the Lyric Theatre Sydney ahead of Muriel’s Wedding The Musical’s gala opening night on Thursday.
The Sydney actors appear as polar opposites as they pose in costume backstage for the camera but on stage they bookend what the socially awkward Muriel Heslop, played by Natalie Abbott, is escaping when she leaves her hometown of Porpoise Spit and heads for the bright lights of Sydney.
Murphy has a solid career in musical theatre including Cry Baby, Wicked, Grease and The Wizard of Oz as well as the premiere season (2017-18) of Muriel’s Wedding The Musical, where she played one of Degano’s bridesmaids.
“Sydney audiences absolutely adored the original production at the Roslyn Packer last year. We had standing ovations every show,” she said. “It is such an infectious and feel-good show, it’s impossible to not enjoy it. It’s a universal story about being true to yourself and accepting yourself for all that you are. Everybody can relate to this message.”
Talking about stepping into the shoes of Denago, the ringleader of the mean girls played by Sophie Lee in the 1994 smash hit movie, brings a big smile to the face of Murphy, who is having a ball playing a character far removed from her own real life — citing the big hair, spray-on tan and masses of fake lashes just to start.
“Tania is extremely shallow and judgmental,” she said. “I think it’s because she is so incredibly bored, growing up in a small town where all she has to entertain herself is Instagram, nail polish and Zumba class.”
For Warner, whose feature film credits include Ride Like a Girl and Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge, the wardrobe requirements for his role, as one of the five Heslop children, are not as onerous but the family’s laid back appearance masks layers of dysfunction.
“Perry and the other Heslops represent the kind of life Muriel is trying to escape from,” Warner said.
“Muriel’s doesn’t fit in, she is bullied by her family and her friends and then she meets this rebel rocker (Rhonda) who finally sees her for who she is and brings out the best out in her.”
And the best part about his role in Muriel’s Wedding The Musicalis being part of a show that gives so much joy, Warner said.
“I’ve never done a musical before and I love the kind of joy it brings to people every night,” he said.
Murphy said Sydney audiences were going to love Muriel’s Wedding The Musical because “it is such a Sydney story and it is just so much fun”.
She described being part of the original production of Muriel’s Wedding The Musical as “such a special time in my life”.
“Working so closely with the writers, creative and designers to bring a new Australian musical to life was one of the most creatively satisfying times in my career so far,” she said.
“The audience response was completely overwhelming and each of us involved in the production had such love and passion for the story that we were thrilled to be there every day. In this tour with this new team, it is beautiful to see that the passion is still there and the integrity and love for the story is at the forefront of everyone’s minds.”
Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.com.au
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