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[0:00] Josh Mitchell: In the spirit of reconciliation, we are theatre acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community.

[0:08] Josh Mitchell: We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

[0:25] Josh Mitchell: Hello, theatre fans one and all. Welcome back. We are on our first show Spotlight for 2023 and we're starting off at the Hayes. We're starting off with Urinetown. I've got Benoit and Barbra here. Hey guys, how's it going?

[0:39] Benoit Vari: Hey Josh.

[0:39] Barbra Toparis: Hi, great.

[0:41] Josh Mitchell: I am really excited about this, guys. Urinetown is like one of these kind of unique shows that most, I would say, new musical theatre people don't know anything about because it is an older show, older modern show, let's call it. 2001 was when it kind of hit the stage. But first, let's dive into you guys as performers. We'll start with you, Benoit. How did you get to where you are today?

[1:08] Benoit Vari: Ah, good question. Um, so I don't know, I guess I was performing at a very young age, um, in my school musicals and school productions and things like that. Yep. Um, so I did that throughout primary school and then going into high school as well. I was very lucky. I went to a great high school that you know, um, did lots of great musical theatre shows and I was lucky in that sense. And then, um, when I was about 16, I was like, oh yeah, I could make this a career, I could maybe do this for the rest of my life, and then I graduated year twelve and then um auditioned for some music theatre courses and then got into one of my dream courses at the VCA in Melbourne, studied there for three years, and then graduated in 2021 and then have just since been auditioning and doing a few shows here and there, and then I was lucky enough to score myself. Um, Urinetown at the Hayes, and then that's who I am, baby.

[2:15] Barbra Toparis: Um, so I was like a dancer when I was younger. I grew up there in that sort of world. Um, and then I got to high school, and mum and dad were like, you know, this is the time to start knuckling down at school time. Um, and I was great at school, but I don't know, missed that sort of passion for performing. Um, and then I got introduced to like a local theatre company because I'm from Brisbane, so down in Brisbane, Rocket Productions, yeah, they were amazing and sort of um brought that spark back to life. And I was like, you know what, same as Benoit. What do I want to do with my life? This is pretty much all I do with my life now. Um, and so I was like, yeah, let's give it a shot while we're young.

Um, and so I studied for two years at the Australian Dance Performance Institute, doing a diploma and advanced diploma of music theatre, um, which was great experience, great training, and then that got me into my um bachelor course, which I've just come I've just graduated from last year. It's the new um bachelor of music theatre at the Elder Conservatorium down in Adelaide um with George Torbey. So that's been brilliant. Awesome. Um, and now I'm here at the Hayes as well, which is after graduating, which has been such an honor.

[3:24] Josh Mitchell: And yes, that's so cool. Um, almost a fan scale. What do you guys remember the first show that you guys saw professionally and that kind of would have started that track to where you are?

[3:41] Benoit Vari: I funnily enough never ever saw musical theatre growing up. Like ever.

[3:46] Barbra Toparis: There you go.

[3:47] Benoit Vari: Yeah, it was really interesting. It's something my parents never really took me to.

[3:52] Barbra Toparis: Yeah.

[3:53] Benoit Vari: And I think my first show I ever saw was in 2000. Oh, I'm gonna get the date wrong, but it was 2015, maybe, and I saw The Lion King with my best friend. Maybe 2015, maybe a little bit earlier. Um, to start off, though. Yeah, it was a great one to start off with for sure. But it was, yeah, it took me a really long time to see musical theatre professionally. Um, so I don't really know what it was. Yeah, I think it was just being on stage for me that kind of sparked the interest and love for it, you know.

[4:27] Barbra Toparis: Um, yeah.

[4:29] Benoit Vari: Yeah, I think I got into it like quite late, like Benoit. Um, I would say I think I think mine's The Lion King too. I think. Um, because we're the same age, probably saw it at the same time when we're not that um we're literally a day apart from that.

[4:45] Barbra Toparis: We are.

[4:47] Benoit Vari: Thing. Um, but I also remember seeing Oliver on the West End when I was younger randomly on like a family trip. So that would have been like they're deep down somewhere for a while.

[5:02] Barbra Toparis: Yeah, lovely. Um, let's dive into being at the Hayes. Uh, let's do it. Let can you guys throw me your kind of summary of who you guys are in this show? Um, so we know what we're talking about for the next little bit. I'll start with you, Barbra. Um, give me an idea into who you bring to life.

[5:22] Barbra Toparis: So my character has little Becky Two Shoes. She's this little um firecracker. Um, she's part of the poor. And me and Benoit's character are a little bit of a duo. We work together. And I don't know how many spoilers we can sort of give on this show, but um in Act Two, they're in a secret hideout. Um, yeah, trying to get back at the high powers that are treating them really terribly, um, with all of the laws that are going on, and so she's a big part in keeping their side strong and um standing up for what they want in the world. So don't have that.

[6:04] Benoit Vari: Yeah, that that answered the question.

[6:05] Barbra Toparis: Ben what? Anything else?

[6:08] Benoit Vari: Hot Blades Harry is the character I play. Um, is a little um similar to Barbra, a little pocket rocket who is infested with the idea of I guess um revenge and vengeance. Um, and so he works alongside Barbra's character, little Becky Two Shoes and the rest of the poor um to sort of capture they capture hope. Um, and they use her as bait, I guess, to get back at the government um in the show.

[6:41] Josh Mitchell: Yeah, cool. Um, yeah, yeah, lovely. Um, if you had to give some random person standing outside the theater being like, do I see this show an elevator pitch of what the show is? How would you do it? How would I do it?

[7:04] Barbra Toparis: Oh, um, that's a hard question. Um, I think I would just maybe do a song and dance. Maybe just be like, come to Piss Town. I promise you'll enjoy it. There'll be something in there that you'll enjoy. I don't know. It's so hard with a show like Urinetown because it's designed to like to the marketing is all about the fact that it's not a conventional show, and so it's a bit skewed. And so a lot of people, even the general public, have like what part we've seen walk past the every time I used to go, Urinetown. What type of show is that? Like it's hard, but it's full of fun, yeah, it's full of humour, it's full of joy, and it's yeah, especially with the Hayes, such a like the theatre like the Hayes, it's such an intimate space. Everyone's a part of the fun and everyone's a part of the joke, and it's yeah, yeah. It's I love the show so much.

[7:58] Josh Mitchell: That was a perfect lead in like getting audiences in and seeing their reactions to this show in a space like the Hayes. Um, those of you that have listened to the show before, you've heard me talk about the Hayes when we spoke to the guys from Bonnie and Clyde. Such a unique venue with the tiered seating that ends right on your level, um, at stage level. What was it like getting audiences in and getting this show up and running um on that first couple of nights, having people in front of you?

[8:27] Benoit Vari: Yeah, it was good. I mean, I feel like doing a comedy is always so scary because when you're rehearsing for a really I mean, I was gonna say for a really long time we only rehearse for like a week, which is insane.

[8:39] Benoit Vari: Um, but when you're rehearsing, um you rehearse the jokes, I guess, in the comedy so much that you forget it's funny.

[8:45] Barbra Toparis: Yeah.

[8:46] Benoit Vari: So when you have an audience, especially in the Hayes, when it's so intimate, like Barbra was saying, and they're so there, and you feel a really strong connection with them because it's so small. It's such a different performance to hear them laughing and hear them interact with you and it's so lovely as an actor.

[9:05] Barbra Toparis: Yeah.

[9:06] Benoit Vari: And I'm sure the rest of the cast agrees, but um it's just very fulfilling and really satisfying when you kind of, you know, get that interaction with them and it's yeah it's quite nice.

[9:16] Barbra Toparis: Yeah.

[9:17] Barbra Toparis: Um, yeah I think with a show like Urinetown, the connection between the performance, like the characters and the audience is such a big thing in the writing let alone like, uh, the story. Um, so I think establishing that connection in a small space where people can like the audience can see the expressions and how you're interpreting things and the jokes and the, um, like the satire behind it all, um, I think the Hayes is a really great space because when I did it, I'm both on the show separately in different, um, companies and institutions and the version that I did was on a much bigger scale as well, um, which has its benefits of course, but it's also nice working in it in such a small scale and getting nuances that are designed within the show because the show is designed for a lot of people doubling up as characters and all that sort of thing.

[10:12] Benoit Vari: So yeah, I think it's a great, it's a guess and whoever's got it jumping in mind first can jump in and I think I think straight away my favorite thing to watch, and I think it's sort of the only moment that we get to watch because we're in everything, yeah, um, is the duet with um Hope and Bobby.

[10:57] Barbra Toparis: I think that's always so sweet.

[10:59] Benoit Vari: It's such a beautiful number, and it's just those two on stage, and they um, uh Petronella and Joel, who play Hope and Bobby um respectively, um do such a beautiful job of just capturing this love that Hope and Bobby have this innocent love, and it's just so sweet to listen to and watch every night.

[11:20] Barbra Toparis: Um yeah, and then I think my favorite, my favorite part that I'm in is definitely "Snuff the Girl" when we're sort of doing a big dance number, and um we've got Hope captured on the chair, and we're sort of surrounding her and um threatening to kill her and everything, and it's just such a big song and dance number, and it's really really fun.

[11:40] Benoit Vari: Typical Broadway number, yeah.

[11:42] Barbra Toparis: It's hard, it's hard not to love.

[11:42] Benoit Vari: I feel like I have to say the same thing in terms of the one that I um love being a part of in "Snuff" because it's Barbra and I and we have the best time, so it's definitely up there on the um and I was also gonna say "Follow Your Heart" because it is the only time we are upstage, um, because it is so wonderful.

[12:05] Barbra Toparis: But to be different, I'm gonna say um we have this gag in the show because our Tiny Tom is the same character as our Barrel, and often those tracks cross parts.

[12:16] Benoit Vari: Yeah.

[12:17] Barbra Toparis: So instead of instead of trying to, you know, get Tom, so our Tiny Tom is the actor's called Tom, which I think is hilarious too.

[12:24] Benoit Vari: Um instead of making Tom like sneak around to appear as Barrel, we actually make it a big like this I think uh gag um so we don't hide it basically.

[12:34] Barbra Toparis: And so we make it this big thing in terms of we look at Tom as if Tom's forgotten that he's supposed to be Barrel and he like runs around all the kind of sort of stuff.

[12:43] Benoit Vari: It's really funny to be like and again and again so I think that's really clever.

[12:49] Barbra Toparis: See that's a really cool way to do it.

[12:51] Josh Mitchell: Yeah, that kind of brings us to the end here guys so one last question if you had to give anybody listening, watching, seeing this on social media one reason why they should jump on to hayestheatre.com.au/events/urin-town right now and buy a ticket to come see you guys, what's the one reason that they should get a ticket right now?

[12:51] Benoit Vari: I think they should get a ticket right now because you'll laugh, you'll probably cry of laughter, you'll hurt from laughing which I think is something that we've needed in the past few years. So give yourself the pleasure of doing that.

[13:32] Barbra Toparis: And you'll also walk away I think um realizing that the show has said something about the world that we live in which I think is what is so important about theatre um in any way shape or form I think you'll walk away from it having such a good time and questioning the world that we live in which I think is great.

[13:50] Josh Mitchell: Just before you jump in on that Barbra, that's a good point.

[13:54] Josh Mitchell: Comedy and satirical comedy at that as well, um how the theme, like how theatre trans its themes most of the time is kind of makes you feel and puts you in the person's shoes. With the satirical comedy, how do you reckon Urinetown goes about that to kind of give people that connection and be like, hey, this is you, this is what your world's like right now? And after everything we've been through, how do you think people are perceiving that satirical side of things differently and being able to connect with that?

[14:28] Benoit Vari: Yeah, I think Urinetown does a great job of just laying it out there and giving it hardcore and sort of not um beating around the bush. I think it goes, hey, these are the problems. We're gonna make jokes about it because it's funny, but also you're laughing at it because the joke's funny, but then you realize that it's actually happening.

[14:49] Barbra Toparis: Yeah.

[14:49] Benoit Vari: And then you go, oh, that's funny because we live in that world, and this world is actually not as different as the world we live in now.

[14:57] Barbra Toparis: Yeah.

[14:57] Benoit Vari: Which I think is great writing.

[14:59] Barbra Toparis: Um, and you know, the show was made nearly 20 years ago, but it's still relevant now, which I think is so important.

[15:08] Benoit Vari: Um I think audiences appreciate that, or at least I hope they appreciate that.

[15:14] Barbra Toparis: Absolutely.

[15:16] Josh Mitchell: Yeah.

[15:16] Barbra Toparis: Um, one reason why.

[15:19] Barbra Toparis: Um, I think Urinetown grows on people.

[15:22] Barbra Toparis: Um, so I feel like those that know Urinetown absolutely love it, and those that don't know Urinetown, they learn to love it really quickly.

[15:29] Benoit Vari: Yeah.

[15:29] Barbra Toparis: Um, so I think you'd be surprised, is what I'm gonna say, and how much you'll connect and enjoy with the show.

[15:35] Josh Mitchell: There we go. There's your two reasons why you should go see it.

[15:42] Josh Mitchell: That's amazing.

[15:43] Josh Mitchell: Um, guys, you've got what, two, three weeks until you're out?

[15:48] Benoit Vari: Yeah.

[15:48] Josh Mitchell: So let's say two and a half to call it even.

[15:51] Josh Mitchell: Um tickets, as we said before, hayestheatre.com.au/events/urin-town. You guys can get everything there.

[15:58] Josh Mitchell: Uh, this is gonna be one of those, again, I absolutely love the Hayes as a theatre, guys. So if you haven't been there, get there because the experience inside as an audience member is I think just as unique as being on that stage and being in that space as well.

[16:13] Josh Mitchell: Um so make sure you're checking out. You've got until February 5th to see this show, guys.

[16:18] Josh Mitchell: So just the other side of the turn of the month to get in and see this show.

[16:23] Josh Mitchell: So make sure you're doing it.

[16:25] Josh Mitchell: Uh and we will be back next week, next week with a brand new episode.

[16:29] Josh Mitchell: This has been our first show spotlight. We're back to uh our spotlight with Sam Hagen tomorrow, uh, next week.

[16:37] Josh Mitchell: And yeah, I know, right? I'm excited too.

[16:39] Josh Mitchell: Um that wherever you guys are right now, make sure you're giving us a like, thumbs up, following, sharing.

[16:45] Josh Mitchell: Everything's gonna be there. You'll see us all on social media.

[16:46] Josh Mitchell: These guys will be everywhere. Make sure you're following them as well.

[16:51] Josh Mitchell: And we'll be back next week with a brand new episode of the podcast.

[16:55] Josh Mitchell: Bye.