An officer and a very buff gentleman

An officer and a very buff gentleman

The collective eyes of the musical theatre world will be on Sydney this week when another big-budget musical makes its world premiere in the Emerald City.

Investors and touring companies worldwide will be asking, does the stage show An Officer and a Gentleman, based on the hit 1982 romance film of the same name, have what it takes to join other movie-to-musical adaptations — Legally Blonde, Hairspray and Billy Elliot among them — as a global smash?

It’s a lot of pressure to work under, but supporting cast member (and understudy to both male lead roles) Brendan Irving said the Officer team was thriving.

“This musical is 10 years in the making. You’d think there’d be a lot of tension and pressure in the rehearsal room, but in fact it’s just been perfect,” he told the Star Observer.

“We’re working with the best people on Australia, if not the world, in terms of developing new musicals and getting them out there. We are the guinea pigs, but we trust that it’ll all come together well,”

Given the musical’s cast of characters include many strapping young Navy recruits, the rehearsal period has been more like an intense fitness boot camp for the performers.

Irving, an openly gay musical theatre grad turned personal trainer living in Darlinghurst, said his unique mix of sports and performance skills were holding him in good stead.

“They’ve had us jogging, running stairs, doing crunches, scaling a four-metre wall on a rope, even spinning rifles in rifle drill — the whole deal.

“I’ve been really lucky. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that I’ve studied musical theatre, then fitness and personal training, and then this opportunity came along. [Personal training] has definitely made the whole experience a lot more comfortable for me.”

Irving’s musical theatre ambitions have been on the back burner since he graduated from NIDA in 2007 — a post-graduation fitness kick soon turned into an alternative career in the industry.

He said he could scarcely believe his luck at getting the chance to understudy two of the male leads, including the iconic Zack Mayo role made famous by a young Richard Gere in the film.

“It keeps things interesting and creative — not that it’s not challenging enough to be in the ensemble, but I’m sure once the show’s up and running I’ll be eager for more stuff to do, so to have the opportunity to jump in and take on those roles will be great,” he said.

INFO: An Officer and a Gentleman, Lyric Theatre, Star City, now playing. www.officerandagentleman.com.au

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