Lucy Durack | |
|---|---|
 Durack in 2012 | |
| Born | 17 November 1982 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Television | Australia’s Got Talent |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Lucy Durack (born 17 November 1982) is an Australian actress, singer and television personality who played Glinda in the Australian production of Wicked , and Elle Woods in the Australian production of Legally Blonde: The Musical . She starred as Tugger in Australian television drama Doctor Doctor in 2016 and as Roxy Karibas in Sisters in 2017.
Born in Perth, Durack graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) [1] with a Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre) and prior to graduating was cast in the Brisbane and Sydney seasons of Mamma Mia! in which she understudied and performed the role of Sophie.
Durack has played the roles of Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street , [2] Miss Dorothy in the Australian Premiere of Thoroughly Modern Millie , [3] Lois Lane/Bianca in Kiss Me, Kate , [4] Rikki Rose in Respect, [5] Sybil Chase in Noël Coward's Private Lives , [6] and Laurey in Oklahoma! . [7]
Durack's screen credits include the role of Cherry in the feature Goddess, Bunny in Southern Star/UKTV telemovie Dripping in Chocolate, Cassie Bennett on Channel Seven's headLand , All Saints , Rush II, Spicks and Specks , Parlami d'Amore , [8] the Australian feature film Finding Nigel and the worldwide broadcast of the BBC2 Voice of Musical Theatre Competition in Cardiff [9] in which she was a finalist. Durack is a frequent guest presenter on Channel Seven's Absolutely Melbourne. While regularly performing in concert with various orchestras throughout Australia, Durack's cabaret appearances include Immaculate Confection [10] with collaborator Matthew Lee Robinson which toured to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Tasmania and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, All Star Cabaret for the Sydney Theatre Company, Cavalcade for His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, and the 2003 Sydney Cabaret Convention for which she received the Judges' Award.
Durack is known for playing the role of Glinda in the Australian production of Wicked. [11] After previews began in June 2008, the show opened on 12 July at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne. It closed on 9 August 2009, and transferred to the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, where it ran from 5 September 2009 through 26 September 2010. After a short break, Durack began performances on the show's Australian National Tour which began 25 January 2011 in Brisbane (running to 2 April). It moved to Adelaide from 14 April to 4 June 2011, and played Perth from 19 June through 11 September 2011. She has co-starred alongside Amanda Harrison, Jemma Rix, Pippa Grandison, Maggie Kirkpatrick, Bert Newton, Rob Guest, Rob Mills and Anthony Callea.
Durack sang the National Anthem at the AFL Grand Final [12] and at Oaks Day as part of Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival and performing on Channel 9's Carols By Candlelight and Channel Seven's Carols in the Domain, all as part of the cast of Wicked .
At the end of the Australian tour of Wicked which took place on 11 September 2011 in Perth, Durack moved on from her four-year role of Glinda to Melbourne for rehearsal of the new Australian production of Strange Bedfellows, [13] where she played the role of the mayor's daughter, Faith. Durack passed the role of Glinda onto Suzie Mathers. When Wicked returned to Australia in 2014, Durack once again played the role of Glinda beginning with the Melbourne season in May 2014. [14] In March 2012, it was announced that Durack would play the main character, Elle Woods in the Australian production of Legally Blonde , [15] which also feature her Wicked co-stars Rob Mills and David Harris as Warner Huntington III and Emmett Forrest respectively. [16] The Australian production season began in September 2012 at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney, before opening on 4 October 2012. It then went on to play at the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane from March 2013. It opened in Melbourne at the Princess Theatre in May 2013. Lucy won the Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Musical for her work in Legally Blonde.
Durack completed filming the role of Katie Morgan in the film Now Add Honey in September 2013 playing the fiancée of Hamish Blake and sister of Portia De Rossi. [17]
Durack's debut self-titled album [18] was released on 28 September 2012. Beginning 2017, Durack portrays Glinda the Good Witch in the Australian tour of The Wizard of Oz . [19]
In 2019, Durack was announced as one of the new judges for the ninth season of Australia’s Got Talent alongside Shane Jacobson, Manu Feildel and Nicole Scherzinger and new host Ricki-Lee. [20] However in 2022, it was revealed that Durack would not return to the judging panel for the tenth season. [21] She was replaced by actress and children’s author Kate Ritchie.
In January 2020, Durack portrayed Princess Fiona in the Australian production of Shrek The Musical in Sydney before transferring to Melbourne. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Melbourne run was cut short, with the final performance being on 26 March. [22]
In August 2020, Durack was revealed to be the 'Cactus' in the second season of The Masked Singer Australia. She was the seventh contestant eliminated from the show, placing 6th overall. [23] [24]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Remembering Nigel | Lucy Durack | |
| 2012 | Dripping in Chocolate | Bunny | TV Movie |
| 2013 | Goddess | Cherry | |
| 2015 | Now Add Honey | Katie Halloway | Main role |
| 2016 | Comedy Showroom: The Letdown | Sophie | TV Movie |
| 2020 | Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal | Mum Quokka | |
| 2022 | A Perfect Pairing | Audra | [25] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | All Saints (TV series) | Emma Christian | 1 episode |
| 2006 | HeadLand | Cassie / Vicki | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Rush | Fiona | 1 episode |
| 2014 | The Moody's | Nicola | 1 episode |
| 2016–2017 | Doctor Doctor | Tugger | 9 episodes |
| 2016 | Upper Middle Bogan | Michelle | 1 episode |
| 2016–2017 | Here Come the Habibs | Judy | |
| 2017–2019 | The Letdown [26] | Sophie | 10 episode |
| 2017 | Have You Been Paying Attention? | Herself | Guest quiz master |
| Sisters [27] | Roxy Karibas | 7 episodes | |
| 2018 | Show Me the Movie! | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2018 | How to Stay Married | Hernandez | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Delete History | Series | |
| Lift | Olivia | Series | |
| Show Me The Movie | Self | 1 episode | |
| Celebrity Name Game | 2 episodes | ||
| Australia's Got Talent | Judge | ||
| Hard Quiz | Herself | Celebrity contestant | |
| 2020 | Love in Lockdown | Georgie | 6 episodes |
| At Home Alone Together | Stephanie | 2 episodes | |
| 2020–2021 | Neighbours | Rose Walker | 28 episodes |
| 2020 | The Masked Singer Australia | Cactus/herself | Contestant |
| 2022 | Fisk | SOS Choir | 1 episode |
| 2022 | The Cook Up with Adam Liaw | Self | 3 episodes |
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Role | Production | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Green Room Awards | Best Leading Actress in a Musical | Glinda | Wicked | Nominated | [28] |
| 2009 | Helpmann Awards | Best Female Actor in a Musical | Nominated | [29] | ||
| Sydney Theatre Awards | Judith Johnson Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Nominated | [30] | |||
| 2012 | Elle Woods | Legally Blonde | Judith Johnson Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Won | [31] | |
| 2013 | Helpmann Awards | Best Female Actor in a Musical | Elle Woods | Won | [32] | |
Durack married Christopher Horsey on Rottnest Island off the coast of Perth, Western Australia on 5 April 2014. [33] They have a daughter and a son. [34]
Robert Mills is an Australian actor, television host and singer-songwriter. He was one of the finalists from the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. He co-hosted the late-night quiz show The Mint with his childhood idol, J-Dawg, the two would go on to star in the hit show Young Talent Time, and was a regular singer on the game show The Singing Bee both on the Nine Network. Mills took part in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars, and appeared on Celebrity Apprentice. In 2008, Mills won the lead male role of Fiyero in a production of Wicked, and continued the role when it moved around Australia. He has since starred in a number of popular large scale musical theatre productions. In 2012, Mills was announced as the host of Network Ten's revamped Young Talent Time. He played teacher Finn Kelly on Neighbours from 2017 until 2022. He is engaged to Georgie Tunny from The Project.
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is a loose adaptation of the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which in turn is based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 film adaptation. The musical is told from the perspective of two witches, Elphaba and Galinda, before and after Dorothy's arrival in Oz. The story explores the complex friendship between Elphaba and Galinda. Their relationship is tested by their contrasting personalities, conflicting viewpoints, shared love interest, reactions to the corrupt rule of the Wonderful Wizard, and ultimately, Elphaba's tragic fall.
Marina Prior is an Australian soprano and actress with a career mainly in musical theatre. From 1990 to 1993, she starred as the original Christine Daaé in the Australian premiere of The Phantom of the Opera, opposite Anthony Warlow and later Rob Guest.
Helen Dallimore is an Australian stage, television and film actress, known for originating the role of Glinda in the West End production of Wicked.
Todd McKenney is an Australian dancer, theatre performer and TV personality. He first got is start on the Chanel 7 television show “Simon’s Battered Sav!” He is best known as a judge on the Australian television talent show Dancing with the Stars.
James Millar is an Australian actor, singer and writer. He wrote the musical drama The Hatpin, the song cycle LOVEBiTES and co-wrote the semi-autobiographical musical A Little Touch of Chaos.
Amanda Harrison is an Australian actress and singer, known for her roles in Wicked (Elphaba), We Will Rock You, and for originating the role of Paula Pokrifki in the world premiere of An Officer and a Gentleman. She has performed in cabaret several times, including her current production Up Close and Reasonably Personal which she is expected to perform at Melbourne Cabaret Festival in June 2014 and recently David Harris, Michael Ball, Lea Salonga and Marie Zamora for Enda Markey Presents Do You Hear The People Sing at Shanghai Grand Theatre. She voiced characters for Get Ace an animation series released in January 2014. She appeared with Mig Ayesa, Michael Falzon and Carly Thomas-Smith for three performances of The Music of Queen - Rock and Symphonic Spectacular. The concert series began on 7 February 2014, at Sydney Opera House supported by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra before three performances in Perth, Western Australia between 13–15 February.
Emma Matthews is an English-born Australian lyric coloratura soprano, noted for operatic roles, but also popular on the concert stage. A Principal Artist with Opera Australia, Matthews has received more Helpmann Awards than any other individual artist, nine Green Room Awards, the Mo Award and the Remy Martin Australian Opera Award.
Jemma Rix is an Australian theatre performer, who has played the role of Elphaba in the Melbourne, Sydney, Australian and Asian touring companies of Wicked. Rix first performed the role in the shortened 30-minute version of the show at Universal Studios Japan. She was an original cast member of the Australian premiere production as the standby for Elphaba.
The Wizard of Oz is a 2011 musical based on the 1939 film of the same name in turn based on L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with a book adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses the Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg songs from the film and includes some new songs and additional music by Lloyd Webber and additional lyrics by Tim Rice. It is the third stage musical adaptation of the film following the 1942 version for the St. Louis Municipal Opera and the 1987 version for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Christine Whelan Browne is an Australian performer who has worked extensively in musical theatre as an actress, dancer and singer. She has also appeared on television shows and in films. In March 2012, she married fellow performer, Rohan Browne.
David Harris is an Australian actor and singer. In Australia, he is best known for his performances as Chris in Miss Saigon, Fiyero in Wicked and Emmett in Legally Blonde having received Helpmann Award nominations for all three leading roles. Harris also starred as the Baker in Victorian Opera's production of Into the Woods and, in America, as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables opposite Terrence Mann in 2015. He has released two solo albums. Since early 2023, he has played the role of The Duke of Monroth in the Broadway theater production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Christopher Scalzo is an Australian-born actor, singer and musical theater performer. He has been part of many major National and International musicals.
Lucy Maunder is an Australian cabaret and theatre performer. She originated the role of Lara in the Australian premiere of Doctor Zhivago in 2011 opposite Anthony Warlow, and toured with her own cabaret Songs in the Key of Black in 2013, releasing an album with the same name. Also in 2013, Maunder toured with the national touring company of Grease playing the role of Rizzo. In 2021-22, she starred as the adult Alison Bechdel in the Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company's co-production of Fun Home.
Gretel Scarlett Jahnke, known as Gretel Scarlett is an Australian actress and performer. Having appeared in theatre productions including Wicked and Mamma Mia!, she is best known for starring as Sandy in the 2013–2015 Australian production of Grease and Kathy Selden in the 2016/2017 Australian production of Singin' in the Rain which opened at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne. She most recently appeared in Disney's Frozen as the Elsa understudy.
Suzie Mathers is a Scottish-Australian actress and theatre performer best known for her role as Glinda the Good Witch in the Australian, Asian tour, and London productions of Wicked as well Sophie in the 10th Anniversary Australian tour of Mamma Mia! the Musical.
Ainsley Melham is an Australian actor and theatre performer. He began his career as a member of Australian children's musical group Hi-5 from 2013 to 2016, starring in the television series and performing in international tours. He later found success as a prominent theatre performer in Australia and the United States.
Elise McCann is an Australian actress and musical theatre performer most well known for originating the role of Miss Honey in the Australian production of Matilda the Musical and as Lucille Ball in Everybody Loves Lucy.
Sophie Wright is an Australian musical theatre and screen actress, and a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Wright made her professional music theatre debut in 2013 in the Australasian production of Wicked, as the Elphaba cover and in the ensemble. Other notable works are a featured performer in Hugh Jackman's Broadway to Oz (2015), Kate Monster/Lucy in the Melbourne production of Avenue Q (2016), Lauren in the Australian premiere of Kinky Boots (2016-2017) and Angela Black in the Australian television comedy series Mr Black (2018-2019) starring Stephen Curry, Nadine Garner, Nicholas Russell and Paul Denny, on Network 10. In 2017 she was judged by the Age newspaper to be No 6 of "Meet the Aussie stars to watch "
Alex Rathgeber is an Australian actor and singer, perhaps best known for his Helpmann Award-winning performance as Billy Crocker in Anything Goes. More recently he appeared as the Tin Man in Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of The Wizard of Oz.
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