Tony Award-winning John Frost is bringing the fast-paced and witty play 'Legends!' to Australia, starting in Brisbane this May.
Sisters Hayley and Juliet Mills star in a production about two famous fading movie stars, Leatrice Monsée (Hayley) and Sylvia Glenn (Juliet), who loathe each other, but who are hustled by a theatre producer (Maxwell Caulfield) into starring together in a Broadway-bound play.
Daughters of actor Sir John Mills, Juliet and Hayley are seasoned actors well known for their roles in 'Passions' and 'The Parent Trap' (1961) respectively. Husband of Juliet Mills, Maxwell Caulfield, will be joining the sisters, as well as Australian Actor, Director, and Choreographer Leah Howard (as Aretha Thomas).By Pulitzer Prize-winning James Kirkwood, 'Legends!' will be a fast-paced glorious romp full of back-stabbing and banter between two legendary actresses who simply hate each other.
“They're both old movie stars that are on the skids. They've both been bitter enemies throughout their careers. One has been a goody goody playing nuns and nurses and the other one was always stuck playing the tramp. That's the main differences, but just because those are the types of roles they were playing doesn't necessarily mean they were like that personally. They were very different women who never agreed on anything so the producer who brings them together is taking a bit of a chance. He thought it would be a very commercial idea to get them on the same stage, because people will simply come to see them be on the same stage,” Juliet says.
However, unlike Leatrice and Sylvia, Hayley and Juliet are renowned for how well they get along in real life. When asked if this made it difficult to play rivalling characters, they had quite different answers.“I think that because we do get on and we love each other, we can act as rivals. If you have a problem with another actor, that could be a problem. But it's hard to be mean to her!” Hayley says.
“It's fun! It's fun fighting and screaming at each other on stage and insulting each other ... but it doesn't mirror our relationship in the least. We've never been competitive, surprising as that may seen. We have never been up for the same part because we're just very different.” Juliet says.
The pair are looking forward to working along side each other for the first time in over 20 years, and they are particularly excited about coming back to Australia.“It's wonderful to work with my sister. It's very good to work with someone you know and trust and admire. She's a very very good actress and that's what you always want – you want to work with good people so that you can be good as well... We haven't worked together since we did a very wonderful, funny play called 'Fallen Angels' in 1994, and we're very happy to be back. We love Australia,” Hayley says
“I'm looking forward to performing in Australia again. It's great, we love the people and the country, and Australian audiences are very warm and generous, and enjoy theatre. We love being in a play that people enjoy seeing. Hopefully it's a good experience for people in the theatre as it is for us on stage.
“I've always loved Australia – I've been here many times... We're going back to all the beautiful cities we loved when we came the first time, so I'm just delighted to come back. Aussies are so nice – you're always coming up to us to say 'hello' and 'welcome back' and 'we can't wait to see the show', so we feel very happy and lucky.” Juliet says.
This is the third reincarnation of 'Legends!', and Juliet believes that it will easily be the best. “This production will be the most elegant, beautifully mounted production. We have a great Director [Christopher Redshaw], and we're doing it for real. It's about real people in real situations and it's extremely funny. I think we will be getting more humour out of it than ever.”
Legends Tour Dates
From 28 May – Queensland Performing Arts Centre (Brisbane)From 18 June – Sydney Royal Theatre
From 2 August – His Majesty's Theatre (Perth)
From 20 August – Her Majesty's Theatre (Adelaide)
From 2 September – Melbourne Comedy Theatre
