Ghost the Musical: An Interview with Oda Mae Brown

Originally published on Avenoir Magazine, in May 2016.

Wendy Mae Brown, an incredibly talented actress with an illustrious career, says that playing Oda Mae Brown in Ghost the Musical is the role of a lifetime.

“She starts out as a phony psychic, or so she thinks… for some strange reason she can hear Sam. We don’t know why she can hear Sam. It’s just the power of love, his need for her to help him, and then they go on this incredible journey. At first, she thinks she’s going mad, then she starts believing him then she grows to love him, and she wants to help him. She actually puts her life in danger for this ghost that she can’t see.”

Of course, with playing a role like this where the character she interacts with most is deceased and unable to be seen, Wendy Mae and Rob Mills (who plays the lead role as Sam) ran into a little trouble in rehearsals.

“She can’t see him and it’s quite hard to play that onstage. You’re not allowed to look at each other, but we did that a lot, we looked at each other a lot during the early rehearsals. But it’s a mistake all Sam’s and Oda’s make” 

Wendy Mae Brown is a natural in her role of Oda Mae Brown, as this will be her third time in the leading role. She started her time as Oda Mae in the UK tour in 2013, and then continued in the China, and now here. So, we asked her how the Australian cast compare to the others she’s worked with. 

“I think Rob is one of the best Sam’s. He really is, he’s very laid back, and he’s got a very Patrick Swayze-esque thing about him. Ghost the Musical ensembles tend to be very young and very hard working, but you’ve got to be to do all the stunts. But I’ve loved them all, and Jemma Rix is just amazing as Molly.” 

The musical is based on the incredibly popular film Ghost and Wendy Mae was very enthusiastic with her response about how the musical compares to the film. 

“This is better. It’s better because it’s more colourful, Oda Mae sings, she dances, and she wears a pink suit. You see the ghost live; you see things you cannot imagine. I mean he walks through doors, ghosts fly all over the place.”

Wendy Mae Brown has had an incredible career onstage with roles in the original run of Mamma Mia, she’s been in Come Dancing, and Kiss me Kate, but her breakout role was playing Joanne in Rent. However, her dream role isn’t what you’d expect.

“On TV I would probably want to be in one of those shows like CSI or SVU and play a forensic expert, or a funny sidekick, something like that.

Wendy Mae strives to keep herself balanced and healthy whilst travelling on tour with the show, and says the biggest struggle is finding the right time to eat. 

“When you’re on tour, you’re eating at strange times, and you can’t eat too close to the performance. Matinees are a nuisance because you have to work out when you can eat, how long to digest it, can you sleep before the next show. So, I often find that when the first show is done I eat right away, so that I can sleep and have it all digested.”

But all the worrying and planning her meal times is worth it when she steps out on stage and gets to perform for an audience and gets to experience their emotions and response to the show, which is her favourite part of performing.

“I’ve done a lot of film and TV and it’s just not the same. The audience gasps; they laugh, and cry, especially in this show. The sobs, I’ve never heard anything like it… But that’s the live aspect of theatre, knowing that you’re touching people immediately.” 

She also talks about the most memorable moment in her career.

“Meeting the Queen I’d say during Hey, Mr. Producer! I did a little shot with the original lady, Ellen Green, and then we all lined up and met the Queen. It was great, she was lovely.”

Wendy Mae leaves us with some parting words for those who want to join the world of theatre.

“Learn from the best, don’t just watch little video people, watch old Hollywood films. Watch the Betty Davis’s, the dancers like Gene Kelly, all these sort of people, because they are rounded characters.”

Read the full interview with Wendy Mae Brown here.