When it comes to Christmas, Lucy Durack doesn’t need much convincing to get into the festive spirit. And this year, the acclaimed stage and screen performer is bringing that enthusiasm to Hume Carols by Candlelight as she takes to the stage as host at Craigieburn’s Anzac Park.
“I am a Christmas nut. I love Christmas,” Durack says. “I’ve never met a Christmas carol I don’t like.”
Having starred in some of Australia’s biggest musical theatre productions including Wicked and Shrek the Musical, becoming a household name through television and stage, Durack is also no stranger to a carols audience. But she says there is something particularly special about community carols events.
“There’s nothing I love more than a community carols event,” she says.
“I’ve never been to one that hasn’t had that real sense of warmth and community and just good vibes. People go out of their way to make it special for children, for the elderly, for families and for everyone in between.”
For Durack, carols are about much more than music.
“So often at this time of year we’re thinking about our to-do lists and everything we have to get done,” she says.
“But as soon as you get there, you feel that real sense of nostalgia and comfort. You remember what’s special about the season. Maybe coming together as a community is what it’s all about.”
As one of Victoria’s most diverse municipalities, Hume is home to people from a wide range of cultural and faith backgrounds. Durack believes that sense of inclusiveness is one of the reasons carols remain such a cherished tradition.
“It doesn’t matter what religion you believe in or what background you have. We can all come together and have a nice time,” she says.
“Whatever the spirit of Christmas means to you, that’s what it is. It’s the communal goodness that comes out of everyone gathering together.”
Durack is following in the footsteps of our last two Hume Carols hosts, Rhonda Burchmore and Georgie Coghlan, something she describes as both humbling and exciting.
“It’s such a huge honour,” she says.
“I’m a huge fan of both of those women, personally and professionally. They’re incredible performers and they both have a great sense of community. I’ll be doing my best to bring that same sense of occasion and make sure everyone has a really good time.”
While audiences can expect plenty of festive favourites, Durack says she’s especially looking forward to the songs that connect us with the spirit of Christmas.
“I love ‘O Holy Night’, ‘Silent Night’, and all those songs that everybody knows,” she says.
“I also love singing the ones the kids adore, like ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’. They bring that excitement and anticipation that makes Christmas feel magical.”
And for anyone still deciding whether to attend, Durack has a simple message.
“If you’re on the fence about going, I would say give it a go,” she says.
“I almost guarantee you’re going to have a nice time and create some sort of lovely Christmas memory.
“Sometimes we’re so busy working our way to Christmas that we get to Christmas Eve and think, ‘It doesn’t even feel like Christmas yet’. Well, this is the antidote to that. You’re definitely going to feel like it’s Christmas if you come to this.”
