Michala Banas in Avenue Q
Having played to sold-out audiences in Melbourne the award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q has opened at Sydney’s Theatre Royal. Best known for her work on McLeod’s Daughter’s Michala Banas is making her theatrical debut in the show and is loving every minute of it.
“It’s my first stage production so it’s all new and exciting, it’s very, very different” she says.
Speaking to Michala Banas is like drinking a can of soft drink – she’s bubbly, sweet and leaves you wanting more. At first I thought she must have been putting it on for the sake of publicity but by the time we finished chatting I was convinced that she was actually just a remarkably vivacious person.
With an attitude as positive and friendly as hers it is unsurprising that Michala, who has been working in the entertainment industry for more than two decades, has opportunities thrown her way.
“With me, with work and the stuff I do I go with my gut. I always wanted to do theatre and it’s just never happened until now. It’s just been an amazing experience so I try never to say never.”
Avenue Q is like Sesame Street for adults with a cast of puppets and people. In the musical she plays two puppet characters; Kate Monster, a sweet young monster with a romantic streak and a heart of gold and Lucy The Slut, a sexy older woman who takes what she wants.
“I get the best of both worlds because I get the sweet character and I get the bitch. It’s every actresses dream because you always want to play the other one when you’re doing a show.”
Banas admits that working with puppets is particularly challenging. “It’s really quite complicated and difficult and we’re still sort of finding little nuances and things that we can get these little creatures to do… The biggest key is to make it look alive.”
The Australian production is directed by Jonathan Biggins who Banas describes as “a very, very intelligent and funny man.” She says that working on the show with him was a great experience. “He gave us some free rein in terms of exploring the characters,” Banas tells me, “I think he was quite keen for us to find our own versions of those characters which was a beautiful thing because you kind of think ‘Oh, they’re going to want what everyone else has been doing so far’.”
Despite this freedom Banas says she felt the weight of the Broadway production on her shoulders.
“You feel a kind of responsibility to those people because they created them [the characters] in the first place…so there’s a little bit of pressure but everyone’s been amazing, we had the writer some out from New York and he was thrilled, he loved it.”
The show is full of irreverent and politically incorrect songs and I ask Banas if she has a favourite.
“Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist is quite funny I’ve got to say. I just think it really sums up the show, it’s a little bit inappropriate but it’s not that bad.”
With the Sydney season being followed up by shows in Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Wellington and Auckland there’s a long road ahead for Avenue Q and Banas.
“When I first got the job I thought ‘Oh my God! How am I going to do this for a whole year?’ but because it’s so much fun I think it’s going to be easy.”
Avenue Q is now showing at The Theatre Royal. Tickets from Ticketek.
