You may know her as Mel Rafter in Packed to the Rafters but there’s another side to Zoe Ventoura. And we’ll get to see that other side in the perennial hit musical Chicago, which opens at QPAC in January.
Ventoura will perform the iconic role of Velma Kelly for the Brisbane season. It’s something of a resurrection for the star whose shock death on TV’s Packed to the Rafters left the audience heartbroken. She then went on to lead roles on the big and small screen and, most recently, had a role in Taika Waititi’s TV series Time Bandits.
Now she returns to the bright lights of the stage in a timeless musical. Ventoura is thrilled.
“Chicago is a real bucket list show for a lot of performers, particularly with the dance background because of the (Bob) Fosse choreography,” Ventoura says. “It’s so iconic, so beautiful to perform. It’s really quite incredible.
“And with every song in the show it’s like, ‘oh yeah, that song, oh, that song’s brilliant’. It’s timeless. It’s the longest running show playing on Broadway. It feels like this is exactly where I’m meant to be, so I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”
Ventoura says performing alongside Anthony Warlow as Billy Flynn is a particular highlight, as well as the freedom she feels she’s been given to imbue Velma with her own touches.
“It’s been a really fantastic process creatively, so fulfilling to develop our own versions of these characters and not be daunted by the people who have come before us,” she says. “So, my Velma and Lucy Maunder’s Roxie, they really help give you the space to do that within the show.
“As soon as Anthony Warlow opened his mouth on day one, I was like, oh, that’s right – that’s why you’re Anthony Warlow. He’s just superb and his portrayal of Billy Flynn is like nothing else. It’s worth the price of the ticket to see him in this role alone. I think he’s extraordinary, and he’s been such a wonderful, generous actor to work with.”
Ventoura started out on stage for several seasons with Opera Australia then touring nationally in musicals such as Grease – The Arena Spectacular and Footloose.
“I did seven years of touring musicals before I moved into TV and film and I’ve been doing that for over 15 years now,” Ventoura says.
“So, to come back to the stage, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to, it was that I just wasn’t sure I was capable anymore because I’m older and this show is so physical, so the role is very physically demanding. Luckily, people had faith in me, and they obviously saw something in me, and now I’m like, oh yeah, it feels like I’ve come home.”
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That feeling has helped her cope with the demands of returning to the hectic schedule of musical theatre – with rehearsals from 10am to 6pm every day, six days a week.
“The dance routines are demanding, but you’re also singing on top of it. Immediately you finish and you go into a scene and you’re puffing away,” she says. “The minute I got the call saying I’d been offered the role, I started training.”
This girl from Perth is excited that Brisbane is the next stop for the show.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in Queensland because the Gold Coast is such a hub for film,” she says. “And I have friends and family in Brisbane and used to spend a bit of time up on the Sunny Coast. I love Queensland and I’m excited to be spending my summer there.”
Chicago, from January 2, Lyric Theatre, QPAC
qpac.com.au
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