It was fitting that entertainers Todd McKenney and Nancye Hayes came to Canberra to support the charity Bosom Buddies as they'll be bringing their stage play of the same name to town in May 2018.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The town's busiest publicist Coralie Wood saw a great opportunity to raise some much needed funds for the organisation which works with breast cancer survivors, and guests at a luncheon were treated to a taste of what's to come.
McKenney and Hayes have been working together for longer than they care to remember.
"We've done a number of shows together going back to 42nd Street which was about 30 years ago," says Hayes.
"[In 2006] we did a play called Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks … we revived it last year for a Sydney 10th anniversary season and we both said at the end of it we'd love to keep doing this.
"But to tour a big play with a big set wasn't really feasible but we thought it would be lovely to share the sort of things that we shared on the road, telling stories about funny things that had happened throughout our careers."
Bosom Buddies is "like a dinner party", says McKenney, where the audience will get to know them, "not the characters we play", with song and dance, footage from their early careers.
"When a whole lot of show folk get together all these anecdotes come out," McKenney says.
"We were just sitting there, sharing these stories as ourselves and we thought this will be great if we put it to music."
The pair are great friends, finishing sentences, making each other laugh.
"It's very comfortable being on stage with someone who knows you very well," McKenney says.
Both have had long successful careers and they put that down to diversifying their portfolios.
"Apart from being talented in more areas than just getting up on stage and singing and dancing, Nancye writes shows, directs shows," McKenney says.
"She has a lot of strings to her bow and that is one of the secrets of her success."
Hayes says if you want longevity in the business you have to have a finger in many pies.
"We say yes to almost every opportunity that comes our way," McKenney says.
And one of those was the luncheon with Bosom Buddies.
First established in 1995 the ACT-based organisation is staffed by volunteers and provides support for those touched by breast cancer, from in-hospital care to working one on one with patients throughout their recovery.
Both Hayes and McKenney have been touched by breast cancer. Hayes has a friend who has recovered and McKenney has a woman he calls his "second mother" going through treatment now.
"The way this little organisation goes about supporting survivors of breast cancer, just being able to talk to someone who's been through it, who's going through it is an incredible thing."
Bosom Buddies plays at the Canberra Theatre from May 21-22, 2018.
More information about the breast cancer support organisation Bosom Buddies can be found at bosombuddies.org.au
