When Courtney Monsma was eight, her parents took her to see a production of Annie in which her sister Emily, then 10, played the title role. It was a light-bulb moment.

“I remember sitting there and hearing the overture . . . and I thought, ‘This is what I want to do.’ And I have kind of been doing it since, which is crazy,” she says.

Courtney and Emily Monsma. Photo © David Hooley

After playing Princess Anna in the recent Australian tour of Disney’s Frozen, and Katherine Howard in SIX the Musical, Courtney is currently starring as Glinda in Stephen Schwartz’s mega-hit musical Wicked. In a lovely turn of events, Emily – who has previously played the role in a production on the Gold Coast – is in the ensemble and is understudying Glinda.

“I think it’s the first time in the world that two sisters will have played the role, which is really cool,” says Courtney.

Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and tells the story of the unlikely friendship between the green-skinned Elphaba and the popular Galinda, and how they become the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch Glinda. Along the way, we discover how the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion come to be.

Wicked premiered on Broadway in 2003, with Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. The musical was first seen in Australia in 2008, returning for a 10th-anniversary production in 2014. 

In this production, Courtney plays the coveted role of Glinda opposite Sheridan Adams as Elphaba. Their casting was revealed in April. The names of the ensemble followed in July.

“The first person I told when I found out I’d been cast was Courtney,” says Emily. “I FaceTimed her, and she pretty much yelled out loud in the middle of Sydney!”

“It was like a movie moment,” says Courtney. “When I got cast, I was very excited, but part of me didn’t feel quite right. As soon as I found out that Emily had been cast, everything felt perfect, like it was meant to be.”

As for their parents, “They are just beside themselves!” laughs Emily.

Growing up on the Gold Coast, the two sisters both loved singing and dancing from when they were tots, and used to perform in their loungeroom to a karaoke machine they were given for Christmas.

They have a younger brother, but – like their parents – he isn’t interested in performing. 

“It has come a bit out of nowhere,” says Courtney of their showbiz obsession.

After appearing in various musicals for community companies, they both undertook a Bachelor of Musical Theatre at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.

Courtney Monsma in Frozen with Jemma Rix and Matt Lee. Photo © Lisa Tomasetti

“I graduated in 2015 and Courtney [graduated] two years after, in 2017, so we had one year where we overlapped, which was really special,” says Emily.

They both saw Wicked when it opened in Australia and instantly fell in love with Schwartz’s impassioned musical. Courtney remembers spending hours and hours on YouTube listening to Chenoweth and Menzel sing numbers from the show, including Glinda’s Popular, Elphaba’s anthemic Defying Gravity, and their moving duo For Good.

In 2019, Emily played Glinda in a production at HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast for Matt Ward Entertainment. Naturally, Courtney was in the audience.

And when Courtney appeared in Frozen, SIX, Disney’s Aladdin (covering Princess Jasmine) and Mamma Mia! (covering Sophie), Emily was there cheering her on.

“We idolise each other,” says Emily. “For the past five years, I’ve followed Courtney around, going to each of her opening nights.”

“She does; every single one!” laughs Courtney.

Appearing together in Wicked will be the first time they’ve shared the stage since high school, and they couldn’t be happier. What’s more, they both consider Glinda to be one of their dream roles.

“I think she’s complex. On a surface level, she loves sparkles and pink dresses, but I think she has a lot of heart, which you come to discover. I love the journey that she goes on in accepting Elphaba. But definitely, the thing that drew me most to her as a performer is her style of comedy, which is really exciting to play,” says Emily.

“Yes, absolutely,” agrees Courtney. “She’s funny and bubbly. But her journey with Elphaba, and the love and almost sisterhood [they come to share] is really cool. Emily and I both know that feeling so well.”

Wicked plays at Sydney Lyric Theatre, 25 August – 10 December.