Expat Aussies taking after native big names and shining in London’s West End
The big names have always done us proud in London, but something else remarkable is happening that’s involving our lesser known but hugely talented performers.
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Succession star Sarah Snook claimed an Olivier Award for her one-woman theatrical take on Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray on London’s West End.
Neighbour’s stalwart Ian Smith, aka fuddy duddy Harold Wilson, hopes to again tread the boards of the city’s playhouses before he “drops off the twig”.
And Sydney star Adam Garcia – a two times Olivier Award nominee – is touring England as absent minded inventor Caractacus Pott who discovers the magical car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
But the real Australian expats to watch out for are the lesser known talents stunning the West End in some of the most ambitious musicals.
Australian actor Tamsin Carroll, who won best actress at the Helpmann Awards for the musicals Oliver! (2003) and Dusty – The Original Pop Diva (2006), said it was Australia’s “grassroots hard work ethic” that set us apart.
“Australians are honest and raw when it comes to their creativity, and a good sense of humour helps them. The Brits love Australians for their humour, refreshing honesty, ambition and hard graft,” she added.
“Our love of working as a team helps ingratiate us wherever we go.”
Here are some of the bright names to watch.
CLANCY RYAN
Clancy Ryan’s childhood dream of being a stage actor when she was 10, growing up in the inner western Sydney suburb of Leichhardt, came true last October.
She was selected to play Moaning Myrtle, a former Hogwarts student and ghost who falls in love with Harry in the West End Palace Theatre’s Harry Potter And The Cursed Child.
The flame-haired actor performs the two-part, five and a half-hour show four days a week.
“It’s a unique joy,” she said breathlessly, with a clipped British accent.
“This is my first West End show. I graduated from a UK drama school in 2018 and left Australia (aged 11) to crack the industry.
“It’s a process of slowly building your network and developing your product. I did most of my learning on the job.
“My accent has changed because I tried to lose my Australian (accent) because I found, when I walked into audition rooms, it set me apart but not in a good way.
“The business is overly saturated. You have to stand up in the face of nerves and keep going over again. It was easier to break into with an English accent.”
ROSS CHISARI
Back as a child growing up in rural Mildura, Victoria, Ross Chisari yearned for the bright lights of London’s theatre district.
But by the time he got there, paperwork almost derailed his dream – he needed a notoriously rare Global Talent Visa to stay.
He got it last January, in recognition of exceptional talent and past credits.
Now 31, he is starring in Moulin Rouge at London’s Piccadilly Theatre as the understudy for Santiago, a singing Argentinian bohemian. Filling out his resume are the UK tour of The Rocky Horror Show, Baby Doll and West Side Story.
“I’ve been in England for five years. I love it. The only downside is the weather but how can you go home when there’s constant work?” he chimed.
ROB TRIPOLINO
Geelong’s Rob Tripolino, 34, has just finished a run as protagonist Marius Pontmercy in Les Miserables, and has played the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar.
He loves everything about the diverse fast-paced city but misses his Italian family.
“I’ve been here since 2017 and I miss my folks, but I love everything about London,” he said.
“I played Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar and my parents watched me get crucified at the Barbican Centre. They were very proud.
“I’ve had some big wins here. You get to bring a certain patter and charm that is different from people here. Australians have a different energy. We have a front footedness yet we’re more laid back than the Brits, we don’t beat around the bush.
“I’m proud to be an Australian in England.”
BAYLIE CARSON
Baylie Carson, 32, flew from Adelaide to audition for the role of Anne Boleyn in the 2022-23 West End Production of Six the Musical, “and literally got it two weeks later after four years of trying”.
“It’s been rolling since then,” she said at a recent showcase of Australian musical talent at the Australian Embassy.
“I had nothing to lose. I really wanted to crack England. They say if you can make it in the UK, you can make it anywhere – so I got on a plane and auditioned the next day after I landed.
“I got the role of Anne, I couldn’t believe it. And I literally started auditions two weeks later. I was terrified. I think Mel B from the Spice Girls was in the audience one night and Game of Thrones star Jon Snow and (Bridgerton’s) Jonathan Bailey also came. I was terrified.
“But I’ve found my swing now.”
GARRY MCQUINN
Wollongong-born producer Garry McQuinn’s proudest achievement was bringing Priscilla Queen of the Desert the musical to Broadway and West End after its Sydney opening in 2006.
Now it’s Australia’s most successful theatrical export and Priscilla The Party is showing at London’s Outernet Theatre, in Charing Cross.
“It’s (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) been to 350 cities, 30 countries, and more than 10 million people have seen it,” he crooned.
“For me, London is the only place I can imagine doing what I do. There are so many opportunities here.
“Australia’s a big country but theatre is very small.”
JEREMY SECOMB
Home will always be Goulburn, New South Wales, for Jeremy Secomb, even though he is a more familiar face in the West End,
Over 25 years he’s racked up credits in Cameron Mackintosh’s Old Friends, a tribute to American composer Stephen Sondheim, Phantom of The Opera, Les Misérables, Priscilla Queen of The Desert, Singing in the Rain, and Sweeny Todd.
“I have an English grandfather so I’m working on an ancestry visa which gives me indefinite leave to remain,” the 52-year-old, who is currently negotiating two “big secret contracts” for the West End, said.
“This city and the acting profession is hard to crack.
“Australians are held in high regard here. We have a certain work ethic. When we audition, we are taken seriously.”
Originally published as Expat Aussies taking after native big names and shining in London’s West End
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