Rhonda Burchmore, the stunningly vivacious yet poised Australian entertainer, has performed in a vast number of shows which have highlighted her amazing career – a career almost as colourful and bedazzling as her fiery red hair.
The Australian entertainer, along with her best friend and fellow performer, Lara Mulcahy, are touring Australia performing their self written ‘ABBAsolutely Fabulous’ show. And it is sure to live up to its name and be ‘ABBAsolutely Fabulous’, Burchmore says.
“The show is a story of friendship and humorous comedy about a love of ABBA, [it is] a joyous celebration of music, life and friendship,” she says.
And what better timing, as this year also marks 40 years since ABBA first toured Australia, causing
their unbreakable love affair with Aussie fans.
Burchmore, alongside equally ABBA obsessed co-star Lara Mulcahy, created the show together, after their friendship began back in the year 2000 upon auditioning for the hit show ‘Mamma Mia’, and according to Burchmore, they thought: “lets go out and do something together again and have some fun.”
ABBAsolutely Fabulous ticked that box.
“Lara and I are both completely different characters… but we make each other laugh,” Burchmore says. “It’s a joy to work with her, there is no jealousy and musically it is a really good blend…our humour kind of bounces off each other.”
“Even though there is a script, a lot of it is impromptu and we go with the moment,” she shares, making the performance more witty and opposed to any other ABBA inspired performance.
Compared to your mainstream ABBA tribute show, Burchmore says this one is a little different. “It’s an honest story of Rhonda and Lara growing up, being die-hard ABBA fans, yet never getting to that concert 40 years ago,” she says, “then all the things that go with being a teenager through the ’70s. It’s like a concert, including all those incredible songs that ABBA wrote into our story.”
Yet it was ABBA’s lyrics which resonated with Rhonda so deeply, in ‘Thank you For The Music’; “Mother said I was a dancer before I could walk,” she says, “that was our story.”
“Love them or hate them, ABBA’s music is still being played on radio stations today,” Burchmore says, “you can’t go to a party where everyone doesn’t get up and dances to ‘Dancing Queen’ or ‘Waterloo’. ABBA puts a smile on peoples faces.”
When & Where: Colac Otway Performing Arts Centre – August 18, Blakiston Theatre (GPAC), Geelong – August 25, Capital Theatre, Bendigo – August 26, Kyneton Town Hall, Kyneton – September 8.
Written by Ruby Cairns