Composer Lucy Simon eschewed the bright lights of Broadway to stage her new musical in Australia.

In 1995, Anthony Warlow played the tortured, grieving Archibald Craven in the Australian production of Lucy Simon’s 1991 Tony Award-nominated musical The Secret Garden. Sitting in the audience, Simon was deeply moved by Warlow’s portrayal – so much so that she found herself thinking: “There is my Zhivago.”

“Anthony Warlow is a miracle,” says Simon from her home in New York. “I know of few other singers who sing with such sheer beauty and emotional depth and honesty as Anthony. He is also a fine actor. When he sang Archie, Doctor Zhivago was just a gleam in my eye, but I knew that if I was ever to write this musical, Anthony could...