There’s a nostalgic feeling in the wake of Penny McNamee’s triumphant return to the stage. It may be that she’s reliving the soundtrack of her adolescence every night in the Australian production of MJ The Musical or that the recent film revival of Wicked evokes memories of her own performance as a young actress in 2008. Whatever the reason, the actress and singer is beyond thrilled to be back where it all began.
“I’m so tired but I’m so happy,” Penny, 41, tells TV WEEK with a laugh. “I’ve been quite emotional about it. I dreamt of doing this as a kid and I still can’t believe that I am.”
While fans know her best as Tori Morgan in Home And Away, among other TV productions, theatre was Penny’s first love.
“My first job out of high school was in a big stage production,” she says.
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“Then a few years after that, I was in the Australian production of Wicked. I didn’t have kids when I was in Wicked [in 2008-09], so now that it’s come back around, I can share it with them, which I love. I’ve always wanted to get back here, I’ve just been in the world of TV for a long time. So it’s been a lovely return and I’m extremely fulfilled.”
After exiting Home And Away in 2021, Penny made the conscious decision to start vocal training in preparation for auditions. Each week, she worked with her New York-based coach via Zoom, where MJ The Musical was coincidentally making its Broadway debut…
“I’d never thought about it like that but maybe it was [serendipitous]!” she says.
“I began vocal training during the pandemic, so I was singing every day for an hour, for an entire year. I was ready to put my hat in the ring for shows when they all started up again. I wanted to be match fit.”
Penny, who hadn’t seen MJ The Musical prior to being cast, says it surprisingly helped to portray her character. She plays the fictitious Rachel, an MTV reporter doing a documentary on Michael Jackson’s life – and yes, she does get to flex her muscles in three different musical numbers!
“I got to see the show being put together, but it was a surprise for me every day [because I hadn’t seen it],” she says. “And I could create my character from the ground up because I had nothing to model her on. I get to do a lot with this role.
“This cast is the most incredible I’ve ever witnessed. The dancers are Olympic level. It’s truly mind-blowing. That, plus the talent of the male leads who play Michael and the remainder of the cast, I feel like I’m amongst greatness.”
Away from the stage, Penny has also added author to her résumé. She recently released Stage Stars, a children’s book series that follows a young girl and her school theatre group. Not only is it for kids, but adults enjoy the books, too.
“I wrote them during COVID [pandemic] for kids who love performing and for families to read together,” she says.
“I get a lot of messages from mums and dads because there’s a lot of musical theatre references. My daughter [Neve, six] isn’t old enough to read them but my son [Jack, nine] loves them. However, I do think he’ll love seeing MJ The Musical. This might put me in the ‘cool mum’ zone!”
MJ The Musical is playing at the Sydney Lyric Theatre from March. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com.au
