As he prepares for the opening night of his first big stage show, Yashith Fernando has the advice of his teachers running through his mind. The Melbourne-based performer has been preparing for this moment since the age of five, when he was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz.
Back then a stage version of the legendary 1939 movie was playing at the Regent Theatre. He watched, mesmerised, as Nikki Webster took on the iconic role of Dorothy – only a year earlier she had flown over a massive crowd at the opening of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Directed by Nancye Hayes, the cast also included Pamela Rabe, Bert Newton and Doug Parkinson. Leaving the theatre, Fernando knew he wanted a career in musical theatre.
Yashith Fernando makes his mainstage debut in &Juliet on Thursday.Credit:Sam Tabone
That dream comes true this week as the 24-year-old from Hoppers Crossing makes his debut in & Juliet, a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. The contemporary show, written by Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin, with a book by David West Read – of Schitt’s Creek fame – has an alternative ending to the show that inspired it: Juliet lives.
“So we see what would happen when she goes on this adventure and along the way she meets [my character] Francois,” Fernando explains. “They may or may not have moment together, who knows,” he says with a laugh, keen not to reveal any spoilers.
The cast includes Lorinda May Merrypor as Juliet, Casey Donovan playing Angelique, Rob Mills as Shakespeare and Amy Lehpamer as his wife, Anne Hathaway.
Five songs “are Francois heavy” Fernando says; the production features works by artists from Britney Spears and Bon Jovi to Katy Perry. One of his highlights is singing Perry’s I Kissed A Girl. ”It’s one of Francois’s big moments, he comes out of his shell a little bit – and also it’s a big moment being a queer person and telling a queer story, on a main stage at a theatre in Collins Street, Melbourne. I’m so happy and honoured to be able to do that.”
Singing Everybody by the Backstreet Boys is also a joy. “It’s insane, the crowd goes wild, I’m dancing with Rob Mills and [everyone] … we’re dancing for our lives.”
“I knew all the songs thankfully, except – this is my age showing – I wasn’t too familiar with some of the Backstreet Boys. But I’ve fallen in love with them now.”
While the show is demanding, he gets off a little easier than most. “My character does do a bit of dancing but not as much as 90 per cent of the cast who are flat out killing it on the dance floor. But the physical demands are definitely real, so it’s about making sure you have good self-care practices and getting into a good routine.”
A classic triple threat – he can sing, dance and act – Fernando is studying a Bachelor of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts. After appearing in Savage River, which screened on ABC television last year, he got a call regarding auditions for & Juliet, thanks to the same casting agent being used for the stage show.
With his heart set on a career in the performing arts, as a teenager he started googling. He had no contacts and no idea how to get into such a competitive industry. “My parents having English as a second language, we weren’t really in that world,” he says.
Online he found the aptly named Starbound, an organisation that runs intensive summer camps for people wanting to work in musical theatre. He did the course several times, honing his dancing and singing skills.
His parents emigrated to Melbourne from Sri Lanka, before which they lived in Dubai, where his sister was born. Encouraged to pursue music from an early age, he plays several instruments including violin, saxophone and piano. At secondary school, he appeared in several productions including Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods and The Addams Family, in which he played Wednesday Addams’ love interest.
After high school, he studied music and teaching at Monash University. His mother’s work in early childhood education had inspired him to try his hand at teaching.
One of the criticisms levelled at musical theatre in this country is its traditional lack of diversity. Fernando argues & Juliet is breaking that mould. “We are diverse in age, experience, culture and background and gender, also [we’re in] a killer, amazing show. It’s definitely changing and I’m so excited to be part of the change.”
Already he feels the show is making an impact, loving the idea of “little kids out there, [like] me watching Nikki Webster”.
With opening night approaching, Fernando is excited and slightly daunted. “Definitely there’s a huge chunk of nerves but I try not to give that any headspace, or any time,” he says. “The whole team and cast is absolutely so supportive, I feel really cared for and held and safe, there’s no worries there.”
“My whole family has been amazing – I can’t wait for them to see this huge spectacle of a show. Obviously, I’m doing this for myself, but I am also doing it for them. They are super, super supportive, it took a while for them to get their heads around the size of the show,” he says. “I’ve saved them for opening night, they’ll come and probably scream and lose their minds.”
& Juliet is at the Regent Theatre from March 9.
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