By Clare BruceFriday 24 Jul 2015Hope BreakfastGuests and ArtistsReading Time: 2 minutes
If you love a good musical, then check out this emerging star of the Australian stage, Patrice Tipoki, and her debut album.
She’s just released A Musical Heart, a recording which brings together some of the classic tunes of musical theatre, covering a wide range of musical genres.
Leading lady: Patrice Tipoki in costume as Fantine in ‘Les Miserables’. Photo: Kurt Sneddon
Patrice, currently starring as the tragic character Fantine in Les Miserables,, told the Hope 103.2 breakfast team that she’s been treading the stage since the tender age of seven.
Her performance of Fantine has been such a hit that she’s been nominated for a Helpmann Award for ‘Best Female Actor in a Musical’.
The new album contains popular songs such as I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables, Defying Gravity from Wicked, Somebody to Love from the Queen tribute show We Will Rock You, Shall We Dance from The King & I, and the title song from Beauty and the Beast.
A Musical Heart was a family effort, music-directed by Patrice’s sister Laura Tipoki. It features Simon Gleeson, a Les Misérables co-star, in The Righteous Brothers song Unchained Melody (from the musical Ghost), as well as internationally renowned singer Alex Boyé who harmonises with Patrice on The Lion King hit, Can You Feel the Love Tonight.
Off-The-Cuff-Performance
During her interview with Dan & Laura at the Hope studios, Patrice was given a musical challenge: to sing Dr Seuss’s book, Oh The Places You’ll Go, to the tune of Vance Joy’s Riptide.
A quirky mix, but she rose to the challenge.
She also gave us a sample of her CD, with a rendition of Beauty And The Beast accompanied by her brother on guitar.
Crossing The Genres
Crossing all genres: Patrice Tipoki. Photo: Kurt Sneddon
“All bar one of these songs are from musicals I’ve been privileged to perform in,” Patrice said.
Patrice is from a musical family, with a mixture of Maori and Irish background.
She learnt her craft at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and was a member of the pop group Girlband, releasing the singles Party Girl (2006) and Electric (2007).
More Info
– Last tickets for Sydney’s Les Miserables performances are on sale now.
– A Musical Heart is available in record stores and on itunes.
Patrice Tipoki’s album, ‘A Musical Heart’