Cancer survivor’s Greatest Showman dream comes to life on the big screen
Move over Hugh Jackman as little eight-year-old Ollie Bailey-O’Reilly, the star of a local film inspired by The Greatest Showman,has the music in him.
Move over Hugh Jackman as little eight-year-old Ollie Bailey-O’Reilly, the star of a local film inspired by The Greatest Showman,has the music in him.
The son of The Angels bass player Chris Bailey, who lost his fight against an aggressive form of throat cancer in 2013, has been forced to fight his own cancer battle after being diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour two years ago.
Ahead of a charity screening The Greatest ShowKids starring Ollie, his mother Jo Bailey-O’Reilly said it was his love of music that got Ollie through some really tough days.
“Ollie was in kindergarten (at St Brigid’s Coogee), he had just turned six, when he started to complain of headaches,” Ms Bailey-O’Reilly said.
“We did not know quite what was going on and it turned out he had a brain tumour, called medulloblastoma.
“For the next nine months, he kind of missed kindergarten, he had to have major surgery, a lot of radiotherapy and a lot of chemotherapy, so the hospital became home away from home.
“Three years earlier Ollie had lost his dad, Chris Bailey to cancer. His dad was a musician and I had trained in music too, so music has always been a big part of Ollie’s life.
“When he was sick music really helped us get through.”
Ms Bailey-O’Reilly explained when Ollie returned to school they all rallied behind him, and when he begged his mum to hold auditions for his school talent show piece inspired by The Greatest Showman she opened up her backyard for the start of what was going to be a community project with enormous heart.
“He is really driven creatively. He just loves to perform,” she said.
“He had seen The Greatest Showman movie and it just blew his head off.
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“He said: ‘Mum can I please hold an audition in the backyard?’ And that is what we did — 22 children showed-up out of a class of 31 and in the end all of students were in it.”
In the filming of the movie, the parents felt it was important that this time it wasn’t about more fundraising or being great or getting things right — it was just about the kids taking the lead, doing something creative.
Suddenly, kids who had never sung, sang and seven-year olds were putting forward costume design ideas.
The project may have been kickstarted by Ollie but Ms Bailey-O’Reilly is amazed by the way the community has rallied behind this project — from Archie Brothers Electric Circus in Alexandria providing a space for filming to dads and neighbours helping on the production end to The Ritz Cinema Randwick offering to host a charity screening night.
“The community has been so supportive,” Ms Bailey-O’Reilly said.
“Archie Brothers at Alexandria has a real circus feel almost so we knew it would be perfect for filming this idea the kids had.
“And when they heard about Ollie’s story and how he led this project they very generously said we could do it.”
The Ritz Cinema has also thrown its support behind the fundraiser for the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation.
“The wonderful Randwick Ritz said we can show it there — that means every penny from the ticket sales will go back to the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation.”
She said the Sydney Children’s Hospital was such a big part of the local community.
“We’ve all been helped by the Sydney Children’s Hospital whether it a kid going up there because they have gastro or somebody has broken an arm or the more serious stuff, like Ollie,” she said.
“It really was a project that is just about everyone being included. The only rule was everyone gets a part.”
A red carpet screening of The Greatest ShowKids will be held on March 25 at 6.30pm at The Ritz Cinema Randwick. Tickets $15 or $50 for a family ticket (+bf), eventbrite.com
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