My Brilliant Career (musical)

My Brilliant Career is an Australian musical based on the novel of the same name by Miles Franklin, with book by Sheridan Harbridge and Dean Bryant, music by Mathew Frank and lyrics by Dean Bryant.

Principal casts

Musical numbers

Act I

• "Prologue"
• "Life As We Know It" – Sybylla
• "Prince of a Girl" – Sybylla, Lucy, Dick
• "Turn Away from the Mirror" – Helen
• "A Girl Who Knows What She Likes" – Everard
• "Parlour Songs"
• "In the Wrong Key" – Sybylla and women
• "Brick" – Frank
• "Good Enough" – Sybylla
• "Wait With You" – Harry
• "Make A Success" – Blanche

Act II

• "Ent'racte"
• "A Little Bit More" – Sybylla and Harry
• "The Will (M'Swat)" – M'Swat family
• "Gargoyle" – Peter M'Swat
• "Working My Way" – Harry
• "Goodbye Letter" – Sybylla
• "Someone Like Me" – Sybylla

Development and production history

Bryant and Frank began writing the musical in 2016. It was workshopped in 2019 at Monash University as part of an artist-in-residence program, after which Harbridge joined as a collaborator. The workshop cast featured Luisa Scrofani as Sybylla Melvyn, alongside Andrew Coshan, Alister Kingsley, James Millar, Natalie O’Donnell, and Anne Wood.

My Brilliant Career premiered at the Southbank Theatre for the Melbourne Theatre Company, from 7 November to 21 December 2024. The original production was directed by Anne-Louise Sarks, featuring Kala Gare as Sybylla with an ensemble cast of actor/musicians including Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward, Lincoln Elliot, Victoria Falconer, Raj Labade, Drew Livingston, HaNy Lee, Ana Mitsikas, Christina O'Neill and Jarrad Payne.

A new Australian tour in 2026 will have seasons in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Wollongong.

Reception

The musical was very well-received including multiple five-star reviews.

2024 Melbourne production

Recording

Following the 2019 workshop at Monash University, a cast recording was produced in January 2020, featuring additional performers Jerome Javier and Melanie Bird.

References