Silvie Paladino returns to Morning Melodies!

An absolute icon of the Australian theatre scene, Silvie Paladino is returning to Arts Centre Melbourne’s Morning Melodies!

Breaking into the theatre scene as Eponine in the Australasian tour of Les Miserables (and going on to reprise the role on the West End), Silvie has gone on to garner an impressive list of theatrical credits including Grizabella in Cats (Australasian tour), Ellen in Miss Saigon (Australian Premiere), Donna in Mamma Mia!, Rita in Sideshow Alley, Lady Thiang in The King and I, Florence Vassy in Chess, and Clara in Passion. On top of theatre, she has released several albums, performed alongside Stephen Schwartz and Stephen Sondheim, sung at the opening ceremony for the 2013 Asia Pacific Special Olympics, and is a regular guest on Carols by Candlelight.

She will be performing at Hamer Hall on September 27th, accompanied by the David Cameron Trio, for just two special shows – 11am and 1:30pm. Ahead of her show, we had a chat with Silvie about getting back on stage after the year that was 2020.

Can you tell me a bit about what audiences can expect from your Morning Melodies performance?

Silvie: I suppose there’s a real variety of music that people will get to hear. So even though I’m known to audiences for my musical theatre work, I do a lot of other stuff. Obviously we do songs from roles I’ve performed, but I also do a bit of Italian because that’s where I started singing with my family. It’s very much stuff that I know people want to hear from me. But there’s also some Eva Cassidy, which is quite new for me, particularly because we only just started doing that [as a tribute show]. But I also talk to the audience and tell them a bit about myself, be a bit silly, because that’s what I like. I like to laugh along, which they all laugh at me. And David’s trio of fantastic musicians – we’ve worked together quite a few times – are great.

Why do you enjoy performing at Morning Melodies?

Silvie: It feels a bit more economic, performing in a theatre when it would normally be dark. And the fact that it’s early on in the day means there’s people who might find it difficult to go out at night. That’s really where the idea of Morning Melodies came from. I think people assume those performing are not very good [since it’s during the day]. But, you know, really household names come out and do your Morning Mels because you get such a wonderfully generous audience. They are just fantastic.

Is it exciting to be getting back into a theatre?

Silvie: You know, over the last year it has felt like theatre has just taken such a whack. And it’s just as important as everything else reopening. Music can give a sense of hope and a sense of belonging. It has an incredible power. And you know, I think people need to hear the need to hear music.

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For tickets and more information, visit the Arts Centre Melbourne website.