Our Fly on the Wall at It Shoulda Been You

Chloe Angel, Michaela Leisk and Dylan Hayley are the young leading ladies in the upcoming Australian premiere of It Shoulda Been You at the Independent Theatre in North Sydney from 31 March. In between rehearsals, they got together at Chloe's for nosh - and Stage Whispers was a fly on the wall…

Chloe: I can’t believe we open next Friday!

Dylan: I can.

Michaela: Time to learn my lines (*maniacal laughter*).

I’m so glad that we’ve all been cast in our respective roles because we’re in the unique position of each having a genuine, personal connection with our character. And with each other! That’s led naturally to nuanced performances and honest and lasting friendship bonds that will go beyond the show’s end.

Dylan: Yeah, I can’t wait till we get the audience in! With all the twists and turns in the show, let’s just hope I can keep a straight face on stage…

Chloe: Oh my god, Dylan, you kill me every time!  It’s so hard not to break up during our scenes!

Dylan: Yeah, I’m finding with a shorter rehearsal period our on-stage personas and interactions are happening really organically now and everything is fresh every time.

Chloe: Me too. Jenny’s journey throughout the show is so layered that it’s very easy for me to find new meaning in things and continuously grow my performance each night.

Michaela: What’s it like for you working with Kate (Jenny and Rebecca’s Mother), Chloe?

Chloe: It’s really interesting actually. We kind of naturally fell into this symbiotic relationship between overbearing mother and perpetually annoyed daughter - which is funny because it’s SO far out of the realm of my real-life experience. But I think our relationship plays well on stage. What about you?

Michaela: I get a kick out of the fact that although I’m in my 30s, I’m still part of the ‘kids’ cast while the ‘grown up’ cast have a playing age of 50+ *chuckles* I thought I was so mature in the lead up to rehearsals but my onstage relationship with Ken and Kate (which sometimes spills into real life) has shown me there’s still a lot for me to learn.

Dylan: Yeah, I can definitely relate to that. There are a lot of personal discoveries and life lessons explored throughout the show which will make it relatable to all audiences regardless of age, gender, race, sexuality and experience. Especially Judy’s final song which summarizes the beautiful overarching theme of the show - having grounded feet with an open heart. You would think that after six weeks of hearing it, it would lose its impact but I still get teary every time Kate (Mannix) sings.

The CMS premiere production of It Shoulda Been You (“The funniest wedding you’ll ever see!”) runs from 31 March to 8 April at the Independent Theatre, 269 Miller Street North Sydney. Bookings and info www.chatswoodmusicalsociety.org

Images: (top) L-R: Dylan, Michaela and Chloe; (middle) Dylan and Michaela; (lower) Chloe and Michaela.

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Community Theatre Seasons 2017