By Ewen McRae
Christian Ambesi has worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Robbie Williams – and soon he’ll be notching up another career highlight to beat those experiences.
The Caroline Springs 17-year-old is rehearsing for the new production of West Side Story after landing the key role of Baby John in the blockbuster production, which will run at Melbourne Arts Centre.
Ambesi said it was a dream come true to be part of something so big.
“I was really overwhelmed when I heard I’d landed the part,” he said. “It was so unexpected … I’m so young, I just went into the audition process with nothing to lose.
“There were lots of tears from family when we found out – it’s definitely the highlight of my career so far.”
Ambesi has been working towards this moment for some time, after taking up dancing when he was four and continuing to follow his dreams regardless of the obstacles.
“The feeling … when I danced is what inspired me to pursue it … even from a young age I knew that dancing made me happy,” he said. “It was a bit of an escape for me. Through primary school, I had some troubles, and the start of high school wasn’t great. Being a male dancer doing ballet and jazz was looked down on by some kids at school. But I always turned back to it because I could see where I wanted to be.”
Ambesi’s career took an upward turn at age 11 when he was involved in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
Love Never Dies and then, a few years later, he worked with UK superstar Robbie Williams on his 2014 tour.
“Performing on Broadway has been my dream for as long as I can remember, so this is a bit of a stepping stone. It’s a 10-month tour and I’m really looking forward to it.”
West Side Story will be at Melbourne Arts Centre from April 6-28. Tickets: westsidestory.com.au
Ewen McRae
