It will be a match made in heaven when Oatley's Rachel Cole steps on stage this week in the Sydney production of Muriel's Wedding.
Rachel Cole plays Nicole, one of the bridesmaids in the show and is also understudy for the main role of Muriel.
And while she has vast stage experience in productions ranging from popular musicals to Opera Australia, Rachel's role in Muriel's Wedding offers her a career first.
"I get to perform with an Australian accent for the first time," she said. "This is a unique experience for me as all the shows I've done have been English or American."
Rachel grew up in the Hurstville area and first got her first taste of performing when her mother, Marilyn, ran the Caringbah Uniting Physical Culture Club.
She discovered her love of singing in the choir at St Aidan's Church, Hurstville Grove.
After studying for a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at the University of Sydney, Rachel decided to study singing full-time, graduating from ED5 International in Sydney.
"Musical theatre is time-bound and Psych will always be there to go back to," Rachel said.
"Music is the best gift. You get to sing and dance and get paid for it," she said.
"You get to tell a story and set it to music. Music enables a heightened level of emotion and empathy that we otherwise wouldn't have."
Rachel's Opera Australia credits include La Boheme, The Marriage of Figaro, The Love of the Nightingale, Die Tote Stadt and La Forza Del Destino.
She has also appeared in Chess, Wicked and Matilda which she toured in for three years.
Rachel has worked as a session singer and backing vocalist and she was the face of Optus in a television commercial in 2013.
She is also a published writer, writing the theatre column, Stage Door Shrink which is published in the ABC arts magazine, Limelight.
And she has written and performed stand up comedy for the Story Club at The Chaser's Giant Dwarf in Sydney.
Rachel went straight into her role in Muriel's Wedding after finishing in the Melbourne production of Evita with Tina Arena.
"I've been super lucky in that I've had back-to-back gigs for eight years," she said.
"Muriel's Wedding is a very strenuous show," she said. "It's like doing three hours of cardio. It's fast-paced but very enjoyable.
"It's very Australian. It's heartbreaking and funny and moving. It's very like the movie, and it's cheeky."
Muriel's Wedding The Musical, commences in Sydney in June at the Lyric Theatre with previews from June 28 and opening night on July 4. The show returns a strictly limited 10 week season.
