The opening moments of My Brilliant Career immediately set the tone for the fabulous musical that is to follow. Kala Gare, playing Sybylla Melvyn, steps to the front of the stage and tells us that the story we are about to hear is all about her, has very little plot and almost no romance. Her exuberant delivery draws instant laughter from the audience. She then launches into her first song and rocks the place. It’s only been a few minutes, but already we’re hooked.

Kala Gare as Sybylla Melvyn in My Brilliant Career. Photo © Pia Johnson

Miles Franklin’s semi-autobiographical 1901 book was made into a famous 1979 film. This musical adaptation, featuring music by Mathew Frank, lyrics by Dean Bryant, and book by Bryant and Sheridan Harbridge, feels audaciously fresh, without losing the original essence of the feminist tale.

The miracle of the show itself, and Anne-Louise Sarks’ exuberant production, is the way it manages to feel contemporary in its storytelling, while still relating to the period in which it is set. It’s a clever balancing act. On top of that, it feels distinctly, loveably Australian.

The musical premiered at Melbourne Theatre Company in November 2024. It returned to MTC at the start of this year and is now at Sydney Theatre Company as part of a tour.

Set in drought-ridden rural NSW in the 1890s, Sybylla’s family is doing it particularly tough due to some dreadful decision-making by her alcoholic father. Released from working on the family’s farm, where her life feels soul-crushing, she goes to stay with her grandmother where she is inspired by her access to books and music. Determined to become a writer, she fights to escape the restrictive constraints imposed on women, who were expected to aim for nothing more than marriage.

It’s a fairly simple tale, but the storytelling is crisp and clear. Bryant’s lyrics are insightful and poetic, while the book, co-written with Harbridge, is smart, on-point and often very funny. Meanwhile, Frank’s exciting score combines a range of musical styles from pub rock to folk, pop and English parlour song, as well as more traditional musical theatre ballads.

Musical highlights include Sybylla’s exquisite song In the Wrong Key, which Gare performs at (and on top of) the piano, receiving a rapturous response on opening night, and her moving number Someone Like Me at the end of the show.

Marg Horwell’s ingenious design reflects the production’s blend of then and now. The stage is covered in dried brown grass, with an upright white piano on a central dais, surrounded by other instruments. The set is transformed for different scenes with the addition of chandeliers, parasols and colourful fringe curtains. Meanwhile, the costumes nod to the period while incorporating injections of contemporary fashion.

The cast of My Brilliant Career. Photo © Pia Johnson

Sarks and Musical Director Victoria Falconer have gathered an excellent cast of actor-musos who not only play various roles, but various instruments. With Falconer and percussionist Jarrad Payne joining them on stage, the well-honed ensemble throws itself into the  production with alacrity and skill.

Under Sarks’ direction, the production is a blast of rumbunctious, raw theatricality. Bright, light and high-spirited, it frequently raises the roof musically, with Amy Campbell’s choreography adding another level of uplifting joy, yet Sarks also allows for quiet, emotionally moving scenes.

Kala Gare gives an exceptional performance as the headstrong Sybylla. On stage throughout, she is a force of nature as she unleashes waves of high-wattage energy coupled with powerhouse singing. Capturing Sybylla’s rebelliousness, passion, vulnerability, mischievousness and fierce determination, she is a delight from start to finish.

Raj Labade is charismatic as the handsome, wealthy Harry, who is knocked for six by Sybylla and hopes to marry her, while Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward is a hoot as Sybylla’s first suitor, the foppish Frank.

Lincoln Elliott makes hay as Sybylla’s brother Horace and Jimmy, the most stubborn of the M’Swat siblings; Christina O’Neill moves seamlessly between Sybylla’s fraught, long-suffering mother and kindly aunt; Drew Livingston is spot-on as Sybylla’s desperate father and raffish uncle; Melanie Bird shines as Sybylla’s sister Gertie and the glamorous Blanche; and Ana Mitsikas lends gravitas as Sybylla’s conservative grandmother.

At the heart of it all is Gare, who gives an astonishing, unforgettable performance in a superb new Australian musical that is wildly entertaining with important things to say. Don’t miss it.

My Brilliant Career plays at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney until 3 May, then tours to the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong, 8–17 May.