Playing two different roles in Sweet Charity, Debora Krizak is almost unrecognisable.

If you believe in something hard enough, than eventually it has to come true, right? Well after debuting on Broadway almost 50 years ago, Sweet Charity is making its way to the nation’s capital in 2015. And it’s going to be big. Musical theatre doesn’t get any better than this, so Canberra best you start booking your tickets now.

With high-energy choreography and sharp-witted dialogue, you’re going to wish you’d book tickets for more than just one show. The award-winning production follows Charity Hope Valentine, a dancehall hostess and an eternal optimist with a worldview that distinctly puts her at odds with her co-workers in a seedy, run-down dance hall. Her friends might say she lives in a bubble of big dreams as she continues to dance with man after man to pay her rent longing for the day she’s whisked out of there and rescued by love.

After getting caught out in the torrential downpours last week while in town to perform selected scenes from the show at the 2014 ACT Tourism Awards, Debora Krizak took five from rehearsals to talk romance, acting and what this big production means for Canberra.

You play Nicky, Charity’s best friend but you also play another role in Sweet Charity?

Debora: That’s right I’m playing multiple roles. I’m playing Charity’s best friend Nicky and I’m also playing Vittorio’s lover, Ursula. One is a senior stripper and the other one is a version of an English supermodel. Very different characters with a 45-second changeover and very diverse. A lot of people don’t actually realise that it’s the same person playing the two characters because the physical transformation is quite different.

It must be difficult bouncing between the two characters, considering the vastly different personalities. How do you balance dual roles?

I got used to it fairly quickly. The biggest change is in accent. But once you start you just fly and you just hope you can make your change quick enough. With anything in theatre, you just get on the plane and go for the ride. And it’s turbulent, very turbulent.

What do you most love about the world of theatre?

The sense of community and the relationships. We’re pretty much gypsies. We come together for a long time and we have this family and then we move on to other shows and we lose them. Usually out of every show, you take two or three people away from it and maybe only one will stick by you and become your extended family. And because we’re all there doing what we love, particularly with this show.

Debora Krizak (centre) in her element on the stage set of Sweet Charity.

Is there anyone you channel when you’re on stage? Be it a diva celebrity or someone you’d admire?

I don’t really channel anyone but if I did it would be all of my alter-egos. You get to put on these wigs and transform into someone completely different so you just want to be the best version of what you believe that character is. I think there’s a bit of myself in every single character including Nicky and Ursula—one being the complete older version of myself and ah…dirty and get’s away with a lot, (laughs).

Sweet Charity is a BIG production and somewhat of a rare treat for Canberra, what do you think that says about the city?

I think you have a lot of people coming in and out of Canberra so for tourism, it’s fantastic. I think it says that Canberra is evolving and puts a lot of time and effort into their arts.

Charity has some rather romantic notions about love with dreams of in fact being rescued by it—what do you think the most romantic thing is that you’ve done for somebody?

My husband would probably say cooking dinner and doing the dishes because we have a set of six year old twins, a boy and girl.

What is the most romantic thing somebody’s done for you?

Made me a cup of tea. It’s the small things. I’m pretty simple with my expectations.

The cheesiest pick up line you’ve ever heard?

I married my first boyfriend so I haven’t been picked up really, (laughs).

Sweet Charity is high-energy with a memorable score, you must have a favourite song, yes?

“Where are we going?”. That really resonates with me as a woman and a mum because quite often we get stuck in the daily grind and we don’t know what we’re doing or where we’re going and we’re nurturing these little human beings but there’s a sense of ourselves that we lose. That particular song is very emotive and I sing about a child that I never had as a character, my character Nicky. I’ve already established that she has worked as a stripper and never got out there to find a partner and have a family.

That’s the song where each of us mourn for something we never had.

When you’re consumed by something daily like being a parent, some would say, perhaps even most, that it is easy to lose yourself. When you feel you’re losing track of yourself, how do you ground yourself again?

I volunteer at my children’s school. I’ve worked as a volunteer as well at the YWCA. I also try to run and workout to clear the mind and immerse myself in family.

Your favourite line in the play?

‘The dancers, we defend ourselves to music’. Imagine this being said with a thick New Yorker accent.

If you knew then, when you were just starting out in the industry, what you know now…what would you tell yourself?

I’d tell myself to stop trying to be what everyone else is telling you to be. Stop trying to fit into moulds and characters. Go along and celebrate the uniqueness of yourself. I now teach other young aspiring musical theatre students.

The biggest thing is that you were born with a certain amount of physicality. I’m a 5 foot 10 woman who will never get the “Girl next door” roles. I used to beat myself up about it. But it has nothing to do with that. When you finally get there, you realise that none of these things actually matter. It’s a case of getting the right role at the right time for you. There’s always going to be someone better, there’s always going to be someone worse, but it’s what you bring to the table that’s unique.

On that notion, what kind of role model do you then hope to be for your kids?

A strong woman who embraces individuality but also shows respect. Think outside the square. Don’t be afraid to stand up and make a difference without stepping on anyone. And that they look at Mum and see that goals are worth striving for.

What do you hope to get out of this experience and what do you hope the future is for the show?

The future for the show is in the now, we have a season at the Opera House as well so we’ve achieved the big picture. What I hope for theatre in general, particularly in Australia, is that independent theatre is seen as a place for your average person who wouldn’t normally pay $200 for a ticket to a show. They can come and have an intimate theatre experience. I think that’s why we’ve all participated to really get out there and show the community that there is an art form and that musical theatre doesn’t have to be *turns up nose* [for the elite].

The essentials

What: Sweet Charity
When: Wednesday 11 to Sunday 21 February 2015 with extra matinee sessions announced
Where: The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre
How much: $59 (matinée) to $99 (A-reserve)
Book: Online or phone (02) 6275 2777