‘Whether I Took the Lead or in Character Parts’ - Actor and Vocalist; Michael-John Hurney

Michael-John Hurney trained with the legendary Hayes Gordon and commenced his theatrical career with the rock musical Hair. An Australian tour of Oklahoma soon followed. He then appeared as Peter in Jesus Christ Superstar and played Simon several years later in a new production in Hong Kong. Other theatre credits include The Baker’s Wife, The Pirates of Penzance, La Cage Aux Folles, Guys and Dolls, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Danny La Rue Show, The Rocky Horror Show, Bad Boy Johnny & The Prophets of Doom, And It’s Got a Lovely Backyard, Rasputin and Lend me a Tenor. For a number of years Michael-John produced and starred in the highly successful, MeatBalls – Fat out of Hell. Michael-John has appeared on classic TV variety shows such as The Don Lane Show, Michael Parkinson, Midday with Ray Martin, The Bert Newton Show, and The Footy Show. He sang as part of a showcase for the Sydney 2000 Olympics bid at The Sydney Opera House. He is a featured voice on many TV & Radio commercials including soundtrack albums Moulin Rouge, Paris -The Rock Opera, La Cage Aux Folles, Oklahoma and his own Meatballs-Fat out of Hell ‘live’ C.D. He has worked in the corporate arena as both lead performer and a creative force behind the highly successful impostors ‘The Three Waiters’. Michael-John performed the solo corporate show Luciano Pavlova – ‘The World’s Biggest Comic Opera Star’ all around the Globe. In Jakarta - Indonesia Michael-John performed the role of Jean Valjean for Les Miserables in Concert with the 70 piece Twilite Symphony Orchestra under the musical direction of Indonesia’s leading conductor Addie MS and a 60-member choir. In 2004 Michael-John played Pontius Pilate in a London production of Jesus Christ Superstar, completing a trifecta with his casting in the musical. His very last corporate performance before returning to Australia was for David (Becks) & Victoria (Posh Spice) Beckham at their home (aka Beckingham Palace) in North London. In 2008, Michael-John joined the Andrew Lloyd Webber’s world tour of Cats. His performance as Gus the Theatre Cat / Growltiger would earn Michael-John a highly prized nomination for the prestigious Green Room Theatre Awards as ‘Best Male Artist in a Featured Role’. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au