It Comes As No Surprise Lucy Maunder & Taneel Van Zyl - Australian Helpmann Awards 2011

This brilliant piece comes from the Australian production of the musical 'Doctor Zhivago - A New Musical'. I believe Doctor Zhivago is the most moving musical ever produced. With a score composed by the brilliant Lucy Simon and lyrics by the very talented pairing of Amy Powers and Michael Korie, this powerful production graced theatres along the east coast of Australia from February to August 2011. 'It Comes As No Surprise' was one of the numbers performed at the 2011 Australian Helpmann Awards, with the exquisite blending of Lucy Maunder and Taneel Van Zyl's superb voices. I was honoured to receive this personal copy from the award ceremony's PR people, and it is such a haunting piece, I believe other music lovers will be touched by this beautiful rendition. Sadly, Kellie Dickerson, Australian musical theatre director and the conductor in this video, passed away in January 2024 after being diagnosed with a rare brain condition. I had the joy of chatting with Kellie after one of the Australian-produced 'Doctor Zhivago - A New Musical' performances held in Brisbane's Lyric Theatre back in 2011, and we spent many minutes chatting about our combined love of theatre as well as hearing her open up about the life she shared with her beloved husband, Rob Guest, a well-respected musical theatre star who passed away several years earlier. This musical opened on Broadway in April 2015, and I was privileged to be in the audience on opening night, after being invited by Lucy Simon (composer) and Amy Powers (lyricist) as their special guest for not only the show itself but also Amy's pre-show soiree and the official after-party held at the Rockefeller Centre. It was such a thrill to finally meet them after chatting for several years via email and on Facebook, and then mingle with the whole creative team and cast on that wonderful night. Naturally, the NY run had an entirely different cast from those featured in this video, but both versions highlighted the most touching score and lyrics I've ever heard. As I always say, Lucy Maunder's voice is like liquid chocolate, smooth, warm and sweet and oozing into every pore of a listener's soul. Lucy Maunder and Anthony Warlow's ('Yuri Zhivago' in the Australian version) rendition of "On the Edge of Time" - the musical's official 'theme song' - became the catalyst for me to write a series of novels based around musical theatre. Using my pen name, Jennifer Larmar, the series 'Til the End of Time' consists of two volumes - 'Silken Images' and 'Fractured Symphony' - both now available on Amazon, with the second volume being dedicated to Lucy for both her ongoing friendship and also her poignant portrayal of 'Lara'.