Some 23 years after playing Christine Daee in the Australian production of The Phantom of the Opera, Maree Johnson is back with the show - on Broadway - this time playing the mysterious Madame Giry. It is a show that has great sentimental meaning for Johnson and the experience allows her two very different access points to a story that has thrilled audiences for several decades.

The desire to act had been present since childhood. Bargaining with brothers to switch the TV from cricket to a musical proved a regular challenge. Such determination was always going to reward with Johnson ultimately giving Australian audiences tremendous delight in a host of iconic roles - Maria in West Side Story, Eliza in My Fair Lady, Grizabella in Cats and Cosette in Les Miserables, to name a few.

A win in the Sydney Cabaret Convention in 1998 took Maree to NYC where a next exciting chapter was to unfold. She quickly established herself with performances around the USA in Zorba, Passion and Adam Guettel's Myths and Hyms. Marriage and family was also found, establishing Maree as very much a local.

Maree was back in Australia recently and it was a great treat for Stages to sit down with her for a couple of hours to catch up on her journey over the past few years. Also to gain terrific insight, into what it takes to be a performer on Broadway and part of an iconic musical.