With three decades of performing under his belt, you’d imagine Yellow Wiggle Greg Page would be able to shrug off stage nerves. But stepping into the unknown by playing the role of President Roosevelt in a new stage production of the much-loved musical Annie, which began its three-city tour in Sydney earlier this year, left the 53-year-old star “extremely nervous”, he tells Woman’s Day.
“I’ve done many rehearsals with the band over the years but this was different,” says Greg of his first ever stage musical production, which opened in March at the Capitol Theatre and moves to Melbourne in July and Brisbane from December.
FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE
“I’m nowhere near as good a performer and singer as musical theatre people – they have incredible voices. While I’ve made a career out of that, I sing in a very different way.”
But in part thanks to coaching by veteran stage co-stars like Anthony Warlow, who returns as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks – “he has been so encouraging and nurturing” – Greg says the nerves fell away.
Three months in, the experience has been “fantastic and wonderful” and if he was offered another chance in the future to star in a musical, Greg says he’d “give it a red hot go”.
But while his timetable is now busy until 2026, after that he’s eyeing a return to his Wiggley roots if the other original band members – Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt and Anthony Field – are keen.
“I’m certainly open to another tour – I know a lot of people have been asking. People can start up a petition!” he laughs. “But I know the current Wiggles are so busy that Anthony probably hasn’t got time.”
While Anthony is the only original member in the current band line-up, Greg has kept his own hand in over the years despite officially retiring from the band in the mid-noughties. At the time Greg, the 33, was diagnosed with orthostatic intolerance, which had caused him fainting spells and slurred speech.
But it was in 2020 that he faced an even greater health challenge after suffering a near-fatal heart attack while on stage with the band in Castle Hill. His life was saved by an off-duty nurse in the audience who used CPR and an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
“It was kind of a freak event,” says Greg. “It was caused by heart disease, which wasn’t so severe that it was causing me problems in my everyday life. That’s the really scary thing.” Over the past five years, Greg’s charity Heart of the Nation has worked to educate Australians that any attempt at resuscitation is better than none and increasing the availability of AEDs.
HEART OF THE NATION
“It was kind of a freak event,” says Greg. “It was caused by heart disease, which wasn’t so severe that it was causing me problems in my everyday life. That’s the really scary thing.”
Over the past five years, Greg’s charity Heart of the Nation has worked to educate Australians that any attempt at resuscitation is better than none and increasing the availability of AEDs.
As he recovered, Greg admits he did start to worry, “What if this happens again?” but his health now is “really good”. His wife of 16 years and co-parent to their teenage children, Vanessa, 53, is, handily, a cardiac nurse.
“When we’re making dinner she’s like, ‘Yes, a few more beans and vegies!’” he laughs. Now, when he catches up with his Wiggles mates, it’s often at the golf course, “We go out and have a hit.” And there is also a new openness between the friends.
“We sit around and talk about our health problems! As a young person you might have had your guard up, now we reach out and say, ‘Hey, how are you, are you OK?’ I think that’s a lesson we can all learn.”
