Friends, colleagues and now (somewhat) partners in crime – South Brisbane colleagues Ellen Axford and Darcy Rhodes have a friendship like no other.
By day, Axford and Rhodes work together at Personalised Plates Queensland in South Brisbane as an Events and Social Media Coordinator and a Customer Service Representative respectively. By night, the pair will play the iconic criminal couple of Lily St Regis and Rooster Hannigan in Queensland Musical Theatre’s upcoming production of Annie from 5 to 9 June at The University of Queensland’s Schonell Theatre. “We became friends through theatre – we’re always mucking around, so when we started working together at Personalised Plates Queensland, all our friends thought it was hilarious,” said Rhodes. “Now we are playing a couple that try to steal an orphan which, on paper, shouldn’t be funny … but we’re having a whale of a time.”
Fans of Annie will remember the debauched duo of Rooster and Lily as the couple who try to kidnap the loveable and optimistic orphan Annie. Both Mr Rhodes and Ms Axford are relishing in playing the villain role for the first time after portraying numerous protagonist lead roles in the past. “Lily is unlike any character I’ve played before. Renowned for being one of the original ‘dumb blondes’ of theatre it’s interesting to see how character perceptions have changed over the years,” Axford explained.
The pair enjoy working alongside each other explaining their friendship has blossomed in the process. “Working alongside each other is incredible, we have so much trust and faith in one another which is instrumental in live theatre.” Axford explained, “We think audiences will love watching the complex con-artist duo we have bought to life!”
Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie has become a worldwide phenomenon and was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The beloved book and score by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, features some of the greatest musical theatre hits ever written, including Tomorrow, It’s the Hard Knock Life and Easy Street.
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