Circle of life

There have been some circles and cycles taking place in Thern Reynolds’s life in recent years, and he could not be happier about the current experience bringing one of them into a full circle.

When he was 12 years old at Blacktown Boys High School, the first musical Reynolds ever performed in was Pippin. The show by Stephen Schwartz struck a chord with the then-teenager, for not only is it a tale about a man who longs to discover true happiness, but it also introduced Reynolds to musical theatre.

Twenty-two years on, and back in Australia after a four-year stint on London’s West End, Reynolds is one of the stars of Kookaburra Theatre Company’s inaugural production of Pippin.

Reynolds is taking on the role of Lewis, Pippin’s evil half-brother, who wants to overthrow the young prince so he can rule the empire. During a break in rehearsals, Reynolds’s excitement about doing the show again is palpable, as he exclaims, I am having the best life at the moment.

I love this show as it is the first show I ever did, and it makes me think back to my school days. I knew after doing this show that this is what I was going to do with my life, and I am still doing it today.

The show itself is timeless, as it is about that point in life we all go through when we think about what am I going to do with myself, what am I going to be and how is what I do now going to affect what I do later.

When I was doing this show all those years ago, it was where I realised I was special and where I knew I was different to all the other boys in that school. I knew not everyone could do this, but I could.

Only a matter of years later, Reynolds did indeed fulfil his dream by landing a tap-dancing role in 42nd Street, and then featured in such musicals as The Boy From Oz, Miss Saigon, Hot Shoe Shuffle and Chicago.

After dancing in the movie Moulin Rouge, Reynolds took off to London, landing roles in Fosse, Tonight’s The Night and Mind The Gap. He also danced in the Cole Porter movie, De-Lovely.

Since returning home, Reynolds took time out from performing to set up a dance school, Studio 11 in Jamistown in the western suburbs.

While he says he is happy working as a teacher, and even happier to be back on the boards in Pippin, he has another ambition in mind. Having danced in shows with Kylie Minogue in 1993 and Thelma Houston in 1996, he says it is time to make a return to Mardi Gras.

I haven’t been for seven years, and I would love to do it one more time, he says. Maybe what I need to do is get all the old pros back who have danced in various Mardi Gras shows and we could do it all again. Wouldn’t that be something to see?

Pippin opens 10 April at the Sydney Theatre. Bookings are through www.ticketek.com.au.