ELEVEN-year-old Mornington resident Charlie Laughton and his best friend Elliot Hayes will be taking the stage at Opera Australia’s La Bohème. The show opened at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne on 7 November and runs until 18 November.
Charlie and Elliot will be performing as soloists in the children’s chorus in Opera Australia’s first production of La Bohème in 15 years.
It will be the first time both Charlie and Elliot will be working with Opera Australia.
Charlie and Elliot, who became friends three years ago while performing in a production of Mary Poppins, will be playing alternating roles in La Bohème and will be portraying a ‘posh boy’ wandering the Christmas markets of Paris circa 1900.
Their part shows the Christmas market bringing everyone together to enjoy the atmosphere and snow, including a children’s chorus from the local church.
Charlie and Elliot said they are both really looking forward to the show commencing and performing in front of their friends and family.
“It’s going to be a great experience and to perform alongside so many nice people, we really can’t wait for it to start,” said Charlie.
“We have been lucky enough to meet some great people so far, it’s been amazing.”
Charlie first became interested in music and musical theatre from a young age.
“I started playing the cello when I was three years old and then I started musical theatre a few years ago,” said Charlie.
Since they met performing three years ago, Charlie and Elliot have performed in several shows together.
“We have a very strong bond. We first met in 2023 when we did Mary Poppins together. We became really good friends because we spent every day together,” said Charlie.
“Then we did dance classes together for about a year and we would see each other every week.”
Charlie said they sometimes get told off for talking to each other too much.
The pair took up opera singing around a year ago when they auditioned for other shows.
This production of La Bohème will be directed by first-time director Constantine Costi, who is passionate about accessibility in the arts and approaching opera in a way that young people can engage with.
This helped pave the way for Charlie and Elliot to pick up key roles.
“We absolutely love this show,” said Charlie.
“For us, it’s all about the experience of getting to perform such an amazing show with great people around us.”
As for the future, Charlie and Elliot are hoping this is the start of a career in the performing arts industry.
They said starting at such a young age has given them perspective as to what a career in the arts could look like and how much pressure there can be.
“It’s been a really great learning experience so far,” said Charlie.
You can find tickets to Opera Australia’s La Bohème at: opera.org.au/productions/la-boheme-melbourne.
First published in the Mornington News – 10 November 2026
