From Stingers to Sea Patrol and treading the boards in musical theatre to drama, Ian Stenlake has established a career that now takes him into the world of an iconic Australian Sixties band. He tells Matt Myers about his new role in Georgy Girl: The Seekers Musical.
You play the Seekers’ manager John Ashby. What kind of character have you brought to the stage?
John is a charismatic character and the show is set in London during the swinging sixties and he was a young man who really knew his way around the music industry. He loved life and partying, but they weren’t the drinking and drug-taking kind of parties, he just loved being around people. So I dare say he remembers everything from that period, which is unusual! (laughing).
Have you met John?
No, he lives in New York. At first I wasn’t even sure if he was alive, but he very much is and he’s great friends with Athol Guy. He’s about seventy-five and still manages a young singer! By all accounts he’s a terrific guy. But this role is great because I get to use my imagination and I bring a lot of myself into it. The show isn’t about impersonations or lookalikes, it’s about bringing the essence of that era and its stories to life.
The jukebox musical is such a phenomenon with shows such as Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Jersey Boys becoming box office gold. How do you think Georgy Girl stands up to this trend?
It’s similar in that we hear The Seekers’ material, but what I like about Georgy Girl is that there is other music apart from The Seekers’ canon of songs, and they are well-recognised songs too, that puts it all into the right timeframe. I don’t want to give too much away, as it will spoil my surprise performance in the opening of the second act!
From an Australian viewpoint, how would you describe the Seekers phenomenon to the world?
I think the word phenomenon is a good one. These were four young Australians who found themselves in London and become not just the flavor of the month, but for a few years. But like most international successes, it all suddenly stops for a while. I didn’t know why that happened but in the show we find out. In terms of the jukebox musical, I also loved Shout! because I discovered so much about Johnny O’Keefe. It’s the interesting little facts, such as to why a song was written, that makes it all so exciting. Georgy Girl is like that.
Has there been one role that has been quite a challenge?
In Caress Ache, the more recent play I did, had a hard-hitting storyline and all five cast-members went on a big journey every night. It was very challenging but very rewarding. I was with a group of actors and production team who were totally invested. It was an extraordinary experience and it did put me through the ringer.
Do you mean in terms of method acting?
Yes, and I totally believe in method acting, however from my personal experience, I realise that you also have to stay safe. There’s no point in going ‘method’ if you can’t get up and go to work the next day. When I was on TV’s Stingers, my character was beaten up and ended up on life support. I spent a couple of days in a hospital bed really investing in that whole work. But for several weeks after, I had a muscular spasm in my stomach that wouldn’t go away! It made me think “why put yourself through all that pain when you can just act?” But I think that in order to achieve the most thrilling performances, it does cost you something emotionally and you literally have to bring yourself back.
Have you ever tackled a gay role?
Well I’ve certainly kissed a guy on stage and I played Cliff Bradshaw in Cabaret and he was healthily ambiguous! But I haven’t played any iconic gay roles – yet. I did audition for a transgender role on TV’s Wentworth. That was a pretty amazing week rehearsing and getting ready for the audition!
You’ve long been quite passionate towards gay rights. Things have certainly moved along in ten years since you last did this interview.
Yes, it’s been very interesting to watch gay marriage unfold around the world, and I don’t often post ‘current affairs’ type things on my social media, but I did post how ashamed I was of Australia. Countries like Ireland are ahead of us, and the USA? Hello? I hate to think of it as a competition, but to lose to the USA is very embarrassing! There are definitely some dinosaurs in our parliament and they have become bloody roadblocks! It’s actually quite inspiring to listen to some of the American politicians and judges who are putting forward the argument for why gay marriage is common sense. It is very much like racial discrimination, especially the way American has moved through it.
Do you still hang out with your best gay mates Billy Brown and Michael Cormick?
Well, my wife Rachel (Beck) and I split up, but she and Michael are currently performing together in Next to Normal in Perth. Michael was maid of honour at our wedding and is fairy godmother to our children (laughing). Billy was my best man, but unfortunately he died. It was a big loss as he was my best friend and mentor. He had done a couple of plays for the Sydney Theatre Company and no one knew he was also doing chemotherapy as he was fighting bowel cancer. It’s weird when in your life you lose a contact who is a ‘go to’ person. It didn’t matter what situation I had in life, I knew I could pick up the phone and call Billy.
When we last spoke you said you’d turn gay for Orlando Bloom. Has that changed?
Oh he’s too old for me now! (laughing) Actually he’s been off the radar for a bit. Maybe I’ll change to Johnny Depp, he’s got a bit of a swagger about him, though he may have gone a bit mad. One would say gone to the dogs!
Very funny! What’s the campest song on your iTunes?
I love ABBA. Back in 1975 when I was living in Mackay, Queensland, I was besotted with them. My father is a minister, so we lived next to a church and underneath the house I played ABBA Arrival at full tilt! Because of the church we always had a bit of amplification around and it was basically an early version of karaoke! My dad used to come and tell me to shut up because I was disrupting his service! I had a very vivid dream back then too, that Frida and Benny were my parents!
From a straight mate perspective, what do you think you ‘get’ about gay people that a lot don’t?
My introduction and education toward acceptance came along a path where, in my adolescence, through being ill informed and being in the environment I was in, I actually would have fallen into the homophobic group. I was naive and didn’t really know what I was talking about. So when I became an actor at twenty-one, I was enlightened and in a very positive way. I fondly recall my first job in a spoof musical called Phantoad of the Opera. There were a lot of actors and dancers rehearsing and I spontaneously sang quite loudly “there is nothing like a dame” and then a large hand landed on my shoulder and a breathy hot mouth in my ear said, “You wouldn’t know!” I felt quite welcomed. I think when people grow up straight and homophobic it’s something about being riddled with fear – of the unknown. People should just try and have a conversation. Gay people won’t bite…well not unless you invite them to! (laughing).
In the past you described the trauma of wearing a dance belt.
Oh yeah! The best part about those things is taking them off, a couple of hours later. This is probably quite out of line, but childbirth can be horrendous and quite painful, but in most cases you will just remember the good bits, and I think when you peel off the thong, it erases the bad memories! (laughing). In fact you find yourself thinking, “I could almost do this again!”
I believe you got quite excited with the return of Australia’s favourite chocolate, the Polly Waffle?
Yes, in 1995 I came second in a Polly Waffle sucking contest at the Newtown Hotel! I was edged out by a particularly handsome flight attendant who just seemed to know his way around a waffle better than I! It was truly a jaw-inspiring experience!
Georgy Girl: The Seekers Musical is playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne
For more visit: www.georgygirlthemusical.com
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