QUIET PLEASE THERE’S A LADY ON STAGE

After playing Judy Garland in The Boy From Oz, Christen O’Leary gets ready for the marathon of End of the Rainbow. Peter Pinne talks to her about Garland, the play and her own career.

“The thing that strikes me about Judy Garland in any film or TV performance I have seen of her is the hope and love in her eyes. Even in the saddest numbers there’s no trace of bitterness but always hope.”

Christen O’Leary is talking about the icon she will play in End of the Rainbow, Peter Quilter’s play set in London in 1968 where Judy Garland is poised to make a triumphant comeback in concert at The Talk of the Town. The play essentially tells the story of the last few days in the life of Garland as she prepares to try and resuscitate her career helped by her pianist and her latest and youngest husband-to-be, Mickey Deans.

“I’m trying to approach her as a real person and not as a star. Tap into the soul of her. I thought Judy Davis did that in the TV series (Life with Judy Garland: Me and my Shadows). She captured the essence of what Garland was.”

What books or movies have you found the most helpful in your research? “A Star is Born for one. She gives such a powerhouse performance and the Judy at Carnegie Hall concert CD is amazing. But the thing I found most helpful was a series of infamous tapes that were recorded 41 years ago. Somebody persuaded her that it would be a good idea for her to write her autobiography and so she talked about her life on tape. I’ve listened to them all and they are amazing. When she starts out she talks normally but clearly becomes more drunk or drugged as she goes on. You hear this incredibly talented woman being so open-hearted. It’s raw, and it’s also tragic that she ended up being so bitter. Sad really.

Growing up in the 70s, O’Leary was never a Garland fan. Her idol at the time was Streisand, a passion fueled by an aunt who played nothing but Streisand. She first became aware of Garland when her daughter became obsessed with the movie The Wizard of Oz, and then later did massive research on Garland when she got the role in the Production Company’s 2010 production of The Boy From Oz. “I know it’s only a support role in the show, but it’s a gem of a role because it looks at a particular part of Garland’s life.”

O’Leary gets to sing eleven songs in End of the Rainbow - everything from Garland’s A Star Is Born signature tune, ‘The Man That Got Away’, to her The Wizard of Oz classic ‘Over the Rainbow’. Her husband, Andrew McNaughton, who is musical director of the production, is helping her get “musically on top” of the material and “sounding right”. She’s not going for an impersonation of Garland but an impression and she hopes to give “glimpses of her voice when it was at its height and also show what the voice became in her later years.”

There are advantages of working with your spouse. “Having a four year-old and an eight year-old at home in Melbourne it’s really hard to juggle career and family. Up until now I’ve managed to be home while Andrew was working and he’s managed to be home when I’ve been away. But this time we’ll both be up in Brisbane together. ”

O’Leary gets her love of music and theatre from her mother, who teaches speech, drama and piano. Her younger sister Helen sings “incredibly well, but decided not to pursue it as a career professionally.” So far O’Leary’s career has encompassed musical theatre and straight plays. She won a Helpmann Award for The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and has been nominated for seven Green Room Awards, winning twice for her work in A Little Night Music and Company.

But although her awards have been for musicals, she believes her future will be more in plays. “I find the pressure of singing so great it’s nerve-racking.” 

When it pays off the rewards in musical theatre are high. She remembers the memorable moment she experienced while playing Amy in Company. “It was my first and only experience of stopping the show. When I finished singing ‘Getting Married Today’ there was nothing but applause and it kept on going and going. I thought what is happening here and then realized this is what they mean by stopping the show. It’s happened to me once, but Judy Garland used to do it every time she went out on stage. I’ve got very big shoes to fill.” 

End of the Rainbow had its World Premiere production in Australia at the Sydney Opera House in July 2005 with Caroline O’Connor as Judy Garland. It was produced in London (2011) and New York (2012) with Tracie Bennett. The QTC production, directed by David Bell, plays at the Playhouse, QPAC, Brisbane, from March 2 to 24, 2013

Originally published in the current (March / April 2013) edition of Stage Whispers.