Silver linings - voices from lockdown

 Life for Carmen Pavlovic, CEO of production company Global Creatures, has come to a very sudden halt this year thanks to the pandemic.

Global Creatures is responsible for some of Australia's biggest international shows and Pavlovic is usually on the go between Melbourne, where the company is based, and Broadway or the West End. This year, however, she has had to put her three current shows on ice – Muriel’s Wedding, King Kong and Moulin Rouge! The Musical, which was scheduled to open at the Regent Theater in Melbourne this year. 

" If things were normal", Pavlovic tells Dance Australia, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical would have been through the Tony Awards and would now be celebrating a year on Broadway”.

“The US tour of the show would be gearing up for rehearsals and we would be at the pointy end of auditions in the UK and Australia.

“We held a New York reading of Muriel’s Wedding The Musical earlier this year that went really well and we would have progressed that to a six week lab in New York by now. We would also have gathered our King Kong creative team together for further planning on the Chinese production which was due to open in 2021.”

 

“Like the rest of the industry, for a while there we had become amateur epidemiologists and statisticians! But these days, I really resist getting caught up in the ‘we’ll know more in four weeks’ loop – it’s doesn’t provide answers and it’s not good for anybody’s mental health

“Instead, we are focused on making plans around the things that are in our control - Moulin Rouge! The Musical will be back on Broadway at some point, and it will go on a US tour and it will open in London and Melbourne. It’s been a lesson in keeping the pre-production planning going with no fixed date for opening.”

Any silver linings to being locked down? 

“Family time!" she replies. "I’m very proud that Global Creatures is headquartered in Australia, but in practice that means a lot of long-haul flights and extended periods away from my husband and kids. As simple as it sounds, being able to sit down and binge Schitt’s Creek as a family with endless cooking in between has been bliss.” 

Watch the video below of the Broadway opening of 'Moulin Rouge!'