I have very happy memories of being involved in school musicals*. I was only ever a chorus member. I didn’t have the voice or the acting skills to warrant a role but nor did I want one – I simply wanted to be part of the excitement. The weekend rehearsals, the energy, the stage makeup, the opening-night nerves… it was all such fun.

School musicals provide the setting for Allee Richards’ coming-of-age novel, A Light in the Dark. We meet Iris, who earns a scholarship to a private school, where she is exposed to a level of wealth and privilege previously unfamiliar to her. She struggles to find her tribe until the drama teacher introduces her to the world of musicals. From there, Iris’s school year revolves around the musical – when she’s not rehearsing or performing, her time feels empty.

I felt safe in that room, I think we all did. He wanted us to be professionals; he always told us it was his job. Nobody was allowed to be a bully, or they got kicked out. There was a rule, ‘The point of exploration is to play, to play you have to let go, to let go you have to be safe.’

But musicals are a competitive business and there can only be one star. Enter Nina, Iris’s frenemy. Behind Nina’s quiet and reserved demeanor, is a girl with stage presence, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by the drama teacher. As students clamour for his attention, jealousy and bitterness grows.

Had Richards confined this story to Iris’s high school years, there wouldn’t be much to set it apart from other coming-of-age stories. However, the story extends into Iris’s twenties, when past and present traumas invade her life.

Happiness doesn’t preclude sadness. She’s learning the two feelings can sit on the same shelf.

I enjoyed many aspects of this novel. As mentioned, the detail associated with theatre and musicals is impeccable and it is clear that Richards draws on her own experience. I also enjoyed the Melbourne setting – I recognised many of the places and landmarks described, including Carlton’s La Mama Theatre. But the standout in this story is Iris – she’s flawed, determined, and yoyos between self-doubt and self-belief. Teenage Iris is so relatable that again, I wondered how much Richards drew on her own experience.

A Light in the Dark may not break new ground in terms of plot but readers will connect with Richards’s authentic writing.

3/5

Iris ordered a gnocchi, already carb-loading for the next night’s final performance. The plump little pillows of potato bathing in their bright red sauce comforted her, even before she started eating.

*For the record, I took part in Anything Goes, Grease, and Me and My Girl.