Little Miss Typecast 

Melbourne 2025

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Review by Olivia Lowes

Chloe Halley’s enchanting cabaret performance ‘Little Miss Typecast’ premiered on October 25th at Prahran’s iconic ‘Chapel off Chapel’. Jam-packed with musical theatre classics from Annie to Smash, Halley’s triple-threat skills and cheeky demeanour had audiences enthralled from the outset. 

Halley took us on a 50-minute autobiographical journey through the triumphs and shortcomings of a performer in Australia’s brutal music theatre jungle. Typecast, by her youthful appearance, the 25-year-old poked fun at an industry that insists on seeing her as perpetually prepubescent.

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"It's great to be 8, I should know... I've been 8 for the last 16 years!"

Growing up in Canberra, Halley recounted the local community theatre scene with sharp wit, including the many times she found herself cast as Brigitta von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Her reflections revealed the absurd and often desperate measures required to climb the musical ladder, none more memorable than her hilariously raunchy rendition of I Am Sixteen Going on Seventeen.

Like any coming-of-age story, Little Miss Typecast has its vices. Halley’s just happens to be a crippling addiction to Sour Skittles, a recurring gag that had the audience in hysterics and perfectly encapsulated the show’s blend of charm, vulnerability, and biting humour.

It was easy to fall in love with Halley’s onstage presence as she owned the stage, microphone in hand, directly engaging with the audience. She delivered stunning vocals, told stories, tap danced and even slid effortlessly into the splits. Dressed in an adorable red, checkered outfit, her Shirley Temple-esque caricature is both knowingly playful and deeply relatable. Halley’s clever reworking of musical theatre staples delivered satisfying results, a highlight being her tongue-in-cheek take on Defying Gravity, which culminated not in flight, but in the triumphant act of putting on high heels for the first time in an attempt to finally appear tall enough.

For every small-town girl, there comes a time to move to the big smoke. Halley documents her transition to Melbourne with brilliant humour, juggling part-time work as a dance teacher and children’s party entertainer alongside her first professional roles: street urchin ‘Little Sally’ in Urinetown and child-star ‘Tina Denmark’ in Ruthless (clear that the move to the ‘big smoke’ didn’t exactly lead to to the big 'grown-up' roles she longed for).​

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The show crescendoed with a glamorous finale set to When I Grow Up by The Pussycat Dolls, as Halley donned a bold new look and unleashed a magnificently cheeky dance number. It was a confident, high-energy finish that revealed her more provocative side and showcased her impressive commercial dance training.​

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Little Miss Typecast has wide appeal. Musical theatre fans will delight in the clever song choices and industry in-jokes, while Halley’s self-awareness and sharp humour make the show accessible well beyond the theatre crowd. Much of its success rests on Halley’s excellent performance skills and incisive writing, supported by slick direction from Dolly Diamond and Dom Hennequin, who made excellent use of the space. ​

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Chapel Off Chapel was left buzzing, as theatre-goers dispersed from a thoroughly entertaining evening, beverages in hand and unmissable smiles on their faces.