You may not pick him as a Floriade fan, but Anthony Warlow loves Canberra's celebration of spring.
He's been a regular visitor to the flower festival over the years, as much to get tips for growing bulbs as enjoying the beauty and atmosphere.
And - lucky for him - Warlow's now starring in Chicago, which opens at the Canberra Theatre Centre on Saturday.
The iconic musical has a three-week run in Canberra, with shows until September 29.
And that coincides nicely with Floriade, which starts in Commonwealth Park next weekend, the gates opening at 9.30am on Saturday, September 14 and continuing until October 13.
So plenty of time for Warlow to go tip-toeing through the tulips, as he performs the role of "spin doctor lawyer" Billy Flynn in Chicago.
"I'm a big fan of Floriade. I was living in Bowral many years ago and as soon as it hit the news, I'd be in the car and driving here," he said.
"I brought my daughter here a number of times. It's just delightful to be here."
A gardener at heart, Warlow says he loves to get ideas at Floriade and also enjoys its sense of community.
"Most of the tips I try to pick up is how they water and the kind of mulch that they use. So it's an educational experience for me, love it," he said. He's also excited about the Dogs Day Out and Great Big Bulb Dig.
Warlow last performed in Canberra in 2009 with Opera Australia's production of The Pirates of Penzance.
Canberra is the last stop on Chicago's run after an 11-month tour of Australia, Warlow playing the role of lawyer Billy Flynn.
"I call him the spin doctor-lawyer," Warlow said.
He's the "ratbag" lawyer who gets Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart off murder charges, all against classic songs such as All That Jazz and Razzle Dazzle.
"It's a wonderful cast, a young cast," Warlow said.
"It's an amalgamation of burlesque, cabaret and vaudeville, all in one night. The thing about this show is that it's been going for nearly 30 years on Broadway and keeps coming back."
Warlow says he's had a great time working with Lucy Maunder who players Roxie Hart, Zoe Ventoura who plays Velma Kelly and Kath and Kim's Peter Rowsthorn, who plays Amos Hart.
"He is just a delight to work with," he said. "We're kind of like bosom buddies back stage, it's great fun to be with him. So it's been a really joyous tour."
Mondays are his days off from the show, so he plans to spend more time at Floriade, with his wife Amanda.
"She's American and about four years ago, I brought her to Floriade and introduced her to fairy floss. She didn't know the term - because they're used to cotton candy, which is a very different animal over there, much more dense," he said.
"She absolutely adores it. The first thing she said was, 'Can we get the cotton candy?'. So, yes, we will be here on a Monday to get the cotton candy."
- Tickets to Chicago are available at www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au
