This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jen Dixon. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I go out to nightclubs with my four daughters, and we often coordinate outfits.
The nightclub event we attend together most often has a unique twist: it only plays songs from musical theatre productions. Musical theatre holds a special place in our family. It has gotten us through some tough times.
It all started with ‘Wicked’
It started 15 years ago when we saw the theatre production of “Wicked.” We became obsessed. We’d belt songs from it around the house, and the girls started learning to play different musical instruments: piano, trumpet, and flute. They’d dress up and put on a performance every Christmas. The festive atmosphere prepared us for life’s blows that were to come.
As the girls got older, our shared love of music led us to attend concerts and festivals together. Then, 10 years ago, everything changed. My eldest daughter was diagnosed with cancer — acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It was such a shock since she was 15.
It was a really scary time. She lost all her hair and eyebrows, her face swelled up, and she spent a full year in the hospital.
But this is how amazing her school was: when she was down and completely bald from treatment, knowing musicals were her safe space, just as she left the hospital, they cast her in the school production of “Hairspray.” The irony wasn’t lost on us, and gave us a much-needed giggle. Her wig for the show was huge and fabulous.
Together, each daughter brings something unique to the singing around the house. The eldest has perfect pitch, a beautiful voice, and a knack for singing herself into better spirits. One has an encyclopedic memory for lyrics. The five of us are like an all-female musical troupe, but it’s just for fun — we don’t take ourselves too seriously. My husband just smiles. It’s not his thing!
I found a club where we could dress up and dance to showtunes
Just as my eldest was going into remission, another setback happened. My second daughter was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and severe depression. She’d masked symptoms, as many girls do, then crashed and burned. It’s been a real journey, learning how this impacts her social interactions.
So we desperately needed some joy back into our lives. It’s then I came across Club Broadway on social media. It seemed designed for us: the founder, DJ Dan Murphy, plays showtunes all night, and it tours around Australia. We couldn’t wait to go to the next one in Sydney. I’m a former textiles teacher, so I got to making our outfits. I love a project.
I went as the tin man, and will never forget walking through the streets of Sydney with one daughter as Elpheba and one as Glinda from “Wicked,” one daughter as Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz,” and then my second daughter decided to go as a character from the “Book of Mormon.”
I actually didn’t think the girls would come with me to the next one, even though I secretly wished they would. It was like bottled serotonin where closet lifelong theatre nuts like me can find our people. To my delighted surprise, they agreed to come to the next one — and every one since.
In terms of street cred of being seen out clubbing with your mom in coordinating costumes, all four of my girls are so confident in who they are; they don’t care.
The musical theatre community here in Australia has given me a whole new friendship group, too, in case my daughters one day decide they don’t want to go clubbing with their mom. That seems way off, though.
“The Sound of Music” is my next dress-up project. I’m going to persuade the girls to go as the Von Trapps. As a singing family that supports each other through hard times, it feels like the most fitting one yet.
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