Hi-5's not just for kids

Hi-5's not just for kids

Mention children's entertainment programme Hi-5 and you would probably associate it with preschoolers.

But Mary Lascaris, 23, the fresh-faced brunette of the popular Australian quintet which helms the TV show, would have you know that its fanbase extends beyond hordes of little tykes.

"In Indonesia, we have 16-year-olds literally going ecstatic at the sight of us," she said in a phone interview from Melbourne.

"Then, there are the mums and dads who are more into our song-and-dance routines than their kids. They get a really good workout."

Lascaris and fellow Hi-5 member Ainsley Melham, 21, are the newest members, joining the group in March after aceing nationwide auditions in Australia.

Their co-stars are Stevie Nicholson, 29, Lauren Brant, 24, and Dayen Zheng, 23.

Local fans of Hi-5 will be excited to know that they are bringing their latest Hi-5 House Party live tour to Singapore next month, the first full-length ticketed performance by the current line-up.

Past Hi-5 members of the show's 15-year history have gone on to work on other projects.

In 2009, Kellie Crawford, 39, part of the original group, created a furore when she did a raunchy shoot for lad mag Ralph, Australia's equivalent of FHM.

Nathan Foley, 34, also one of Hi-5's pioneers and now a singer-songwriter, told The Sunday Telegraph in 2009 that he got "a few tattoos... which is what I've always wanted to do" following his departure from the show.

For Lascaris, it is highly unlikely that she'd follow in their footsteps.

A self-confessed "good girl", she laughed when quizzed about a dark side.

"I have no secret tattoos, that's for sure. One of my previous jobs before joining Hi-5 was teaching at a primary school for two years," she said, adding that she does not rule out returning to the education sector.

Her resemblance to Hollywood star Anne Hathaway doesn't hurt either.

"I get that a lot in Asia, it's very flattering. "I do feel a little embarrassed though."

 

Hi-5 House Party

WHEN

Dec 20: 3pm and 6.45pm Dec 21 and 22: 11am, 3pm, and 6.45pm

WHERE

Sands Theatre, MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands

TICKETS

$45, $65, $95, $105 from Sistic (www.sistic.com. sg or 6348 5555)


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