Bobby Fox is best known for originating the role of Frankie Valli in the Australian production of Jersey Boys. He has appeared in many other musical theatre productions, including Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Spamalot, Oklahoma and Sweet Charity, amongst others, and he received a Helpmann nomination for his role in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins which played at both the Hayes and the Sydney Opera House. He also has a shuffle in his shoes, having been a part of Riverdance as well as a four time World Irish Dance Champion. He has released the album The Fantastic Mr Fox.

Bobby takes us through his childhood in regional Ireland, learning to dance as soon as he could walk, and being part of Riverdance from just 15 years of age. His journey ultimately takes him to Australia where he has lived for over 20 years as a successful musical theatre performer.

Bobby Fox appears in Guys and Dolls, this year's Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour thanks to Opera Australia, from 21 March to 20 April.

One of Australia’s most eclectic, respected and prolific artists, Eddie Perfect has received multiple awards and nominations for the different strands of his work. He won the 2009 Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work for Shane Warne: The Musical, and received a Tony nomination for Best Original Score for his work as composer/lyricist of Beetlejuice. He’s back on stage to star in Opera Australia’s new production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, and from this May will once again perform his own music as he takes on the title role in the Australian run of Beetlejuice.

In this conversation, Eddie takes a deep dive into the development and creation of a successful Broadway show, charting his initial struggle to get his foot in the door, the long process of writing, workshopping, and re-writing, to coping with the initial out-of-town and Broadway premieres to an initially lacklustre critical response. The show went on to receive eight Tony nominations. He also talks about his formative years as a performer that eventually led to creating Shane Warne: The Musical.

This episode of In Conversation contains additional content to the broadcast edition.

Latvian cellist and conductor Margarita Balanas has played at venues around the world, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. She’s performed as soloist with the Munich Philharmonic and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra among many others, and conducted orchestras including the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and the Baltic Sea Philharmonic, and is the founder and music director of the ANONIMI orchestra and charity.

As children, Margarita and her siblings raised money by busking in order to afford the travel and entry fees to be able to play in competitions. Her incredible tenacity and motivation took her to London and the Purcell School, then the Royal Academy of Music, and lead her to becoming assistant conductor to Paavo Järvi. Margarita shares this incredible journey with us, as well as a number of pieces she has performed with her sister, violinist Kristine Balanas, as part of that journey.

Follow Margarita on Instagram @margaritabalanas and on her website www.margaritabalanas.com