Robyn Doreian
Musical theatre actress Elise McCann is known for appearing in a string of productions including Matilda and Beetlejuice the Musical. Here, the 41-year-old talks about her complicated relationship with her father, and how working with Tim Minchin led to her meeting her future husband, American broadway actor Andy Karl.
My father, Tom, was a psychologist in the army. When I was one, we moved from the Albury Wodonga Barracks, where I was born, to Sydney.
My paternal grandfather, Alan, was also in the army. He was a very regimented man. He had rules at his Canberra house, such as having to finish all of your dinner. He developed Alzheimer’s and passed away when I was in high school, but his sense of order and structure really impacted me.
I was about 15 when my maternal grandfather, Tom, came to live with us. He had been given six months to live, and my mother, Yvonne, refused to let him live on his own. He lived for another five years, which was a lesson in how life can deteriorate if you don’t have community around you.
My dad left my mother when I was about 11. I was really close to him and felt an acute sense of rejection. He moved back to the US to where his mum’s side originated.
In my teens, I started doing amateur musicals at the Sydney Youth Musical Theatre Society. There, I met two of my dearest friends, [director] Luke Joslin and [actor and singer] James Millar. I was 15 when I went to their 21st birthday parties, which I thought was so cool. Being with older guys gave me confidence with boys.
I studied musical theatre at NIDA but subsequently studied law, which is where I met my first serious boyfriend, Dan Leung. I was in my first year and he was in his fifth.
Dan had a dry sense of humour and loved me in a way I hadn’t felt before. But after a few years he wanted to get married and have kids. I wasn’t ready for that, so I took a job on a cruise ship around Europe and the Greek Islands. When I came back we broke up, as I felt he wasn’t the right person for me.
In my early 20s, I had a nervous breakdown. I developed an eating disorder and started having panic attacks. I went to see Dad in Boston and it was an amazing, healing time for us. I was able to be really honest, telling him I felt he didn’t love me and Mum anymore. He told me he felt so guilty. My parents mended their relationship and have respect for each other.
Playing Miss Honey in Matilda was my first big break. Its composer, Tim Minchin, is an incredibly special man, a creative genius who works so hard at refining and perfecting things. He challenges you in a way that has a great kindness. He would come and hang out and we’d have a wine, or he’d sit on my dressing room floor and we’d chat. There’s no conceit to Tim.
Groundhog Day, the second time I’d worked with Tim, changed my life. Not just because the show itself is about choosing to be a better person, but it’s also where I met my fiancé, [American Broadway star] Andy Karl.
We first met over Zoom at the end of 2023. Within a day, I thought Andy was amazing. When he came to Australia, we had a coffee before rehearsals and chatted about life. Within a couple of weeks I had a crush.
Andy’s ex-wife came to see the show. Shortly after that, he told me they’d separated. Two weeks later I told him I had feelings for him and in March 2024 we went on a date.
I never expected to fall for Andy, but he’s unlike any man I’ve met. He is so accomplished but lacks the need to be the biggest star. Instead, he celebrates my successes. He’s such a beautiful compilation of a man who has amazing strength but also real vulnerability.
Our schedules are so crazy that we won’t get married until 2027. My family is here but his is in Baltimore, so we’re probably going to do something in both cities.
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
Beetlejuice the Musical opens in Brisbane in June. Elise McCann is also co-founder of Hey Lemonade.
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date: 2026-02-07 21:04:00
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