Lala Barlow
About Me!
Lala was born in Melbourne Australia and trained at Federation University (formally BAPA) in Ballarat and Monash University in Melbourne. She currently resides in Melbourne Australia after spending two years living and working internationally, basing herself in London in the United Kingdom. Lala is a singer, actor, dancer, musician, writer, voice coach, choreographer, musical director and adjudicator.
Whilst in London, Lala appeared as the Bearded Lady in the highly acclaimed UK Premiere of Side Show at the Southwark Playhouse starring Wicked's Louise Dearman and Olivier Award Nominee Laura Pitt-Pulford. Produced by Paul Taylor Mills and directed by Hannah Chissick, Side Show was nominated for Best Off West End Production in the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards in 2017 and was met with immense international acclaim.
She appeared as the ditzy and dramatic Dolly Tate in Annie Get Your Gun at the New Union Theatre in Southwark, directed by Kirk Jameson and choreographed by Ste Clough. Phil Willmott from London Box Office gave Lala’s performance tremendous praise, concluding "Lala Barlow makes the comedic most of her every moment onstage as Dolly, a bullying rival to our heroine". Lala then went on to originate the role of Natalie in the Workshop season of TAINTED (formally A Kind of Love) at the White Bear Theatre in London; Music and Lyrics by Marc Almond and directed by Bryan Hodgson and played the role of Mrs Ortranto in the Workshop showing of Island at the Phoenix Artists Club. She spent Christmas climbing beanstalks and touring regional England as Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk for West End in Schools, directed by Christian Durham.
Lala is the co-writer and performer of the smash hit comedy cabaret The Worst Little Warehouse in London. After a highly successful Workshop at Above the Arts Theatre in London’s West End and a sold out season in Melbourne Australia at The MC Showroom, Lala was invited to perform on the Assembly Stages as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2018. The show was one of the favourites of the fringe, receiving five star reviews in addition to being nominated for both Musical Theatre Review's prestigious 'Best Musical' Award' and 'Favourite Cabaret' at the BroadwayWorld Edinburgh Fringe Festival Awards. In 2019, the show won the Adelaide Fringe Weekly Award for Best Cabaret and completed a world tour, performing at the Kings Head Theatre in London, The Butterfly Club in Melbourne, The Cuploa inside the Garden of Unearthly Delights and in venues across Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Portsmouth and Nottingham.
Upon returning from the UK in 2018, Lala ventured up to Queensland to play the hilarious Lily St Regis in Annie (Mad About Theatre). She returned once again to the Sunshine Coast in 2020 for the smash hit rock musical Rock of Ages playing the brash and bold Regina with performances at The J Noosa, The Events Centre Caloundra and the Pilbeam Theatre in Rockhampton. In the same year, Lala inhabited the feisty shoes of Vivienne Kensington in Legally Blonde presented by James Terry Productions at Chapel off Chapel. Man in Chair, Simon Paris gave the production tremendous praise, remarking ‘with her sharp delivery and charismatic presence, Lala Barlow elevates supporting character Vivian the viper’. Lala was very fortunate to spend January of 2020 in South Yorkshire, filming horror feature Eating Miss Campbell, playing the zany and cartoony titular role of Miss Campbell. The film is directed by Liam Regan (My Bloody Banjo) and is due for release in 2021. Just prior to Christmas, Lala played the troubled role of Elaine in the psychological drama Eavesdrop, a short film directed by Sarah McQuinn for Swinburne University.
Prior to moving to London, Lala joined the cast of Terror Byte at the iconic Melbourne Cabaret institution Draculas as their comedienne and charismatic leading lady Androgyny. She toured regional Victoria in 2015, playing the dynamic lead of Sheila in Hair, and played the role of Jeanie in their highly acclaimed Melbourne season at Chapel off Chapel. Lala has toured Australia extensively, performing as Pink in The Pink Show, Janet in tribute show The Rocking Horror Show and performed at the Mackay Burlesque Festival and Dirty Martini’s as the comedic and quirky Harajuku inspired Lady Lala. She appeared as Tony in Strut and Fret’s ‘spooftastic’ production of North Side Story which enjoyed two seasons as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, at both the North Melbourne Town Hall and the Melba Spiegeltent. Lala also appeared at the Melbourne Recital Centre as a Storyteller in Children of Eden during the 2013 Stephen Schwartz ‘Tryptich’, attended and rehearsed by the composer himself.
Lala is a six time Music Theatre Guild of Victoria nominee, earning nominations for her portrayals of Hope Cladwell in Urinetown, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Maureen in Rent, Justine in Frankenstein: A New Musical and Julia Gulia in The Wedding Singer. Her performance of the fiery Maureen in Rent was met with critical acclaim, with Stage Whispers reviewer Coral Drouyn remarking "Barlow has that magical ability to be completely 'in the moment'". Other performances include her portrayals of Mary Lane in Reefer Madness, Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and playing the role of Toffee in the Australian Premiere Season of Zombie Prom.
Whilst treading the boards of Burlesque and Cabaret in between her other theatrical pursuits, she has enjoyed artist residencies at The Cellar Bar, Downstairs at Almas and Burlesque Bar in Melbourne whilst also performing in a corporate capacity at the prestigious Fight Cancer Foundation Red Ball and the Midsumma Festival in Melbourne. Commercially, Lala has represented Heineken in the UK and has also appeared in several music videos including the EP ‘Over it by Now’ for Norfolk based pop rock band, the Young States. Lala appeared as pop sensation 'Katy Perry' on the ABC satiric comedy GET KRACK!N starring Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney and recently played the hot-headed Penelope for Humdrum Comedy’s hilarious new sitcom Metro Sexual, now showing on 9GO and 9now in late 2019.
In February of 2019, Lala inhabited a sadistic student in Yael Ella's sci-fi short film The Riddle and joined the cast of Mating Season by Amy Johnson. She has appeared in a number of short films, including Wizard by Lewis Jones, The Driver by Gabriel Cunningham and The Stroke, written and directed by Morgane Polanski and produced by Incognita Films. The Stroke was part of the official selection for the BAFTA qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival in 2018.
In addition to her career as a performer, Lala is also a sought after Choreographer, Musical Director and Vocal Coach, teaching at Arts Educational Schools, The Urdang Academy and READ College in London. Lala was twice nominated for an Australian Lyrebird Award for her Musical Direction of Altar Boys (Fab Factory) and Aida (Karralyka). She also Musically Directed the 2016 Green Room Award Nominated Tick Tick Boom! which premiered at The Loft at Chapel off Chapel; produced by Pursued by Bear and directed by Paul Watson. In 2019, , Lala partnered up with the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation to choreograph their touring production for the 3 Sides of the Coin Project.
Lala has choreographed a plethora of productions for prestigious St Michaels Grammar School in St Kilda, with performances at the National Theatre and Gasworks Arts Park. Productions include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Anything Goes, The Addams Family, Mulan Jr, The Little Mermaid Jr, Bye Bye Birdie and The Wedding Singer. She received Music Theatre Guild Nominations for her choreographic work on their productions of Anything Goes, Bye Bye Birdie and The Addams Family and for her creative flair on the highly acclaimed production of The Boy From Oz with St Bernards College in Melbourne. Lala also choreographed the highly successful season of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown for Melbourne Musicals, directed by Bryce Ives and performed at the Cromwell Road Theatre.
She continues to be a highly in demand specialist in all performing facets of Musical Theatre and live entertainment, as both a performer, mentor, teacher and adjudicator.
Lala is currently undertaking her Reiki Training to become a Reiki Master and Practitioner and is a spirited advocate for holistic health, fitness and wellness.
Lala is proudly represented in Australia by Expression! Arts Management
and in the UK and Europe by Redshaw Management.
