As a child, performer and professional dancer Phoebe Panaretos and her sister would spend every Saturday night at their yiayia and pappou’s house. There they would watch one of two movies their yiayia had recorded on the trusted VHS; the musical Grease and the iconic Australian musical Strictly Ballroom. It was inevitable that Phoebe would grow up to play either Sandy or Fran. She has been cast in the lead role in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming stage production of Strictly Ballroom, and she couldn’t be happier.
Phoebe started dancing at the tender age of six. Always supported by her Greek Cypriot family – her mother was born in Cyprus and her father’s parents migrated from Kythera to Sydney – she loved the entertaining part of her heritage. The dance, the music, has always played a leading role in her life. She started dance school with her cousin and by the tender age of eleven she was cast in the role of Rose in the Cameron Mackintosh production of Oliver.
“I remember going on stage for the first time singing Food glorious food [on stage for Oliver] and I was just in heaven,” Phoebe tells Neos Kosmos.
“You get to sing your heart out, dance and tell a story through singing and acting and dancing and there’s just nothing like it.”
Phoebe says she lives for the excitement and natural high she gets from being on stage. Her love for musical theatre took her to continue her studies at Newtown School of Performing Arts where she graduated topping the state in drama. She was accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts where – after moving to Melbourne – she completed a three-year degree in Music Theatre. There she honed her craft and met many industry heavyweights that saw her career begin to take a steady rise.
” I started to get known in the industry,” she says, through her studies at VCA and her subsequent auditions and productions that followed.
Since graduating Phoebe was cast in a role in the television series Mr and Mrs Murder. In 2012 she toured to both Singapore and Hong Kong with the Smile Live Entertainment production of Thomas And The Hidden Treasure. Earlier this year Phoebe was very excited to be part of The Production Company’s 2013 season of Singin’ in the Rain.
“Of course all my family flew to Melbourne to watch [Singin’ in the Rain] and had the Greek community there supporting me,’ she says.
“I feel so lucky I have such a great Greek family, they are all so proud and to them it doesn’t matter if I am in the ensemble of Singin’ in the Rain, they are just as excited about me playing a lead role in a Baz Luhrmann production,” she says of her supportive family.
She says although musical theatre is challenging – having to coordinate between dancing, singing and acting – this style suits her personality down pat.
“It challenges me in every way possible,” she says, “and I am somebody who is a bit of a perfectionist and am always trying to better myself in every aspect and have been training for this my whole life.
And working with someone as prolific as Baz Luhrmann, although filled her with apprehension, she said it wasn’t long after meeting that the director made her feel incredibly comfortable and at ease, allowing her to look forward to the hard work that will begin next year, with rehearsals going into full swing before April’s premiere.
Already, Phoebe and her leading man Thomas Lacey, who will play the role of Scott Hastings – made famous by Paul Mercurio in the movie version – have already began flamenco classes, she herself is doing everything she can to have herself fit ready for the gruelling performance of eight shows a week in the new year.
Not bad for a girl who has her yiayia’s VHS collection to credit for her success.
Strictly Ballroom the musical will open on Saturday 12 April at Sydney Lyric Theatre. For tickets and dates visit www.strictlyballroomthemusical.com