Arriving at The Concourse Lounge in Chatswood this season after successful runs at Sydney's Eternity Theatre, Glen Street Theatre, and the Bondi Cabaret Festival, O'Reilly's one-woman show (accompanied by the versatile John Martin on piano) promises an evening of showstopping numbers and revealing backstage stories from her four-decade career.
O'Reilly's premise is deliciously simple yet compelling: for every hit production she's been part of, there have been shows that mysteriously disappeared, catastrophically flopped, or never made it past rehearsals. These theatrical disasters—involving "national tours, major stars and dodgy characters"—form the backbone of an evening that celebrates resilience as much as success.
The performer's credentials lend authenticity to her tales of theatrical misadventure. Her impressive resume includes roles in Australian productions of Les Misérables, Hello Dolly!, The Rocky Horror Show, The Sound of Music, and My Fair Lady. More recently, she appeared in the new Australian musical The Grandparents Club, written by Wendy Harmer with music by John Field.
John Martin, her accompanist, brings his own considerable experience to the production. With appearances on 18 commercial recordings and numerous ABC Classic FM recordings, his versatility across musical genres complements O'Reilly's theatrical storytelling.
What distinguishes CURTAINS! from standard cabaret fare is its focus on the songs that rarely get a chance to shine—the numbers from productions that closed early or never opened at all. These "unsung songs" create a musical landscape for O'Reilly's behind-the-scenes revelations where, according to the show's tagline, "fact truly WAS stranger than fiction."
Stage Whispers critic Neil Litchfield praised a previous iteration of the show, noting that "O'Reilly is a terrific raconteur, and belts out a succession of the relevant showtunes in grand style."
For those who appreciate the polished veneer of musical theatre but have always wondered about the chaos beneath, CURTAINS! offers a rare glimpse into the unpredictable nature of life in "The Biz" through the eyes of a performer whose career has weathered both triumph and disaster.
CURTAINS! plays at The Concourse Lounge in Chatswood before continuing its 2025 tour to other venues including Glen Street Theatre, Casula Powerhouse, and Yuin Theatre in Batemans Bay.
VENUE: Concourse Chatswood
WHEN: Sat 29 March, 2025, 3:00 PM
Tickets available here.
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