Debra Byrne - The Morning Show (September 20, 2023)
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00:00Debra Byrne has been a fan favourite for five decades. Today she joins us here on The Morning Show to reveal her exciting new role.
00:07And in that class, Debra Byrne went from a TV singing star to one of the most successful Aussie artists of the 70s and 80s.
00:14So what does life look like now for the triple threat? She's standing by to join us live.
00:19Up next for you here on The Morning Show, singer Debra Byrne is live.
00:24Yeah, she's going to take us inside her incredible career and the new role, bringing her back to the Aussie stage.
00:29That's right up to this view.
00:35Well, Debra Byrne is one of the country's most respected musical artists.
00:38She was a firm favourite on stages and screens in the 70s and, of course, beyond.
00:43More recently, it's been a while since we've seen Debra in the spotlight.
01:03She's been busy looking after her tight knit family, but we're happy to report she is back in a big way with an exciting new role.
01:11And Debra Byrne joins us now live from Melbourne. Hi, Debra.
01:14Hello, guys. Thank you.
01:16Nice to see you. Congratulations. This is a new role in La Cage Aux Folles, which is a musical The Birdcage was based on.
01:22For those unfamiliar with the show, what's La Cage Aux Folles all about?
01:27OK. It's about two owners of a nightclub, Georges and Albin, and they run this amazing nightclub.
01:38And there's a woman who I play, Jacqueline, who owns the restaurant next door and they're very good friends.
01:47And I'm not going to give the story away. That would be terrible.
01:52So if I say too much, it gives it away.
01:55It's a wonderful, wonderful musical. It's funny because I was playing in a musical, Jerry's Girls, many, many years ago, 1987, I think.
02:08And I sang the song La Cage Aux Folles in that musical because it was all based on Jerry Herman's wonderful music.
02:19And I played it as a man. So I was dressed as a man, lived as a man and felt like a man.
02:26And, you know, La Cage Aux Folles. And I had the best time playing that role.
02:35So I get to sing it again, but I get to sing it with Paul Capsis and I have wanted to work with this genius man for so long.
02:45So that was a major attraction for me.
02:48Yes. Well, it's colorful, it's vibrant, it's over the top, it's perfect.
02:53You're a legendary entertainer, of course, but it has been a couple of years since you've been on stage.
02:57Do you get a little bit nervous coming back to now or just pure excitement?
03:01I always get nervous. I don't think I've ever not been nervous before a performance, but it's not a nervous that makes me feel unwell.
03:12It's a nervous excitement. It's a bubble. It's something that brings you to the stage and that's great.
03:21So, yeah, it's not, oh my God, I've got to, you know, blow this or do something dreadful.
03:28I don't have that in my head. In fact, many years ago, I thought that I was a far more on it person on stage than off stage.
03:39That was probably true back then.
03:41I love that. There were some headlines earlier this year, which they said you were facing homelessness.
03:48What's the real story behind these reports, Deborah?
03:51Thank you. Thanks for saying the real. Well, I can't remember the journalist's name that wrote that.
03:58That's okay.
03:59But she mentioned that I was facing eviction, which wasn't true.
04:05What had occurred is that we were given 60 days to vacate.
04:09And in normal times, you know, that would have been, okay, we'll find a place.
04:17But during a rental crisis, that is a very difficult thing to overcome.
04:24And so we had to look outside of being in Melbourne.
04:27And the greatest concern for us was that I would have to take Aaron, my grandson, who I've raised since he was a baby, out of his special school that he's attended for 10 years.
04:43And that was heartbreaking.
04:45We made that transition and he has transitioned well.
04:50And, you know, it's not the worst thing that can happen to Aaron.
04:55But at the time it was like, oh, we really want to keep him at this school.
05:00This is his second family.
05:02But what I was trying to point out was that the rental crisis was real and is real.
05:09And there are people who really cannot find a home.
05:14And this is people with very good jobs, you know, earning good money, and they still can't get a home to live in.
05:23Well, Deborah, lovely to catch up with you this morning.
05:26We're glad that we cleared all of that up.
05:28I'm glad to hear that you're settled down with the family.
05:30And we're certainly glad to hear you're back on stage.
05:32This is very exciting.
05:33Great to talk to you this morning.
05:35Thank you, guys.
05:36It sounds like that new role came along at just the right time for you.
05:39The tickets to see La Carte Aux Folles head to the Morning Show website.
05:43Featuring fabulous Deborah Byrne.