& Juliet’s indigenous star on the hit musical’s songs and what sparked her dream of being on stage ahead of Singapore shows

Lorinda May Merrypor played the title role in the Australian production of & Juliet and will do so again during its run in Singapore, kicking off in September

The indigenous star says growing up she should have had no reason to believe she could play such a part ‘because I could not see anyone like myself doing this’

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Indigenous Australian actress Lorinda May Merrypor, who plays the title role in the Australian and Singaporean productions of the musical & Juliet, says she never really felt the pressure to live up to original versions of the musical’s songs performed by stars including Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson. Photo: Daniel Boud

Published: 7:15am, 12 Sep 2023Updated: 11:26am, 12 Sep 2023

Although she had enjoyed singing and dancing since she was little, Australian actress Lorinda May Merrypor hadn’t had much access to musical theatre growing up.

Her home city of Rockhampton, in the northeastern state of Queensland, never featured on the stops of big touring productions. For years, the closest she got was watching High School Musical on free-to-air television in her parents’ bedroom.

It took a high-school class trip to Brisbane to see Wicked, the hit musical based on The Wizard of Oz, to cement her dream of appearing on stage one day.

“I started bawling my eyes out from the moment the orchestra started playing,” the 27-year-old says. “So I absolutely 100 per cent knew what I was going to do with my life. I just had to figure out how to make it happen.”

One of Merrypor’s favourite numbers in the show is a mash-up of “Problem” by Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea, and “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd. Photo: Daniel Boud

Fast-forward 10 years and Merrypor did just that, playing the title role in the Australian production of the hit musical & Juliet that premiered in the country in February.