'Nancye Hayes, Toni Lamond and Jill Perryman.1 As the first Australian women to be cast in leading roles in major productions, these performers paved the way for a long succession of Australian leading ladies, including Geraldine Turner (Chicago), Marina Prior (The Phantom of the Opera) and Debra Byrne (Sunset Boulevard). Through interviews with these four leading ladies, this article investigates the impact of earlier pioneers on current female performers, as well as outlining the current opportunities and challenges for female musical theatre performers in Australia. Other starring roles in musicals included the title role in Wildcat (1963), Nancy in Oliver (1966) and Rose in Gypsy (1975). After years of smaller roles and understudying (most notably in the 1965 Australian production of Hello Dolly, in which she played the leading role on numerous occasions), Perryman was cast as Fanny Brice in the 1966 national touring production of Funny Girl.' (Publication abstract)
