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| Marcus Corowa - Gabrielle Diaz - Jonathan Hickey in "Are You Lonesome Tonight". |
Concept by Patrick Nolan - Directed by Laura Hansford
Designed by Penny Challen – Lighting by Wesley Bluff.
Musical Director: Steve Russell – Performance MD &
Pianist: Trevor Jones.
Performed by Gabrielle Diaz, Marcus Corowa, Jonathan Hickey.
The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre – April 15. 2025
Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.
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| Jonathan Hickey - Gabrielle Diaz - Marcus Corowa in "Are You Lonesome Tonight". |
Opera Queensland created this production in 2021 and toured over 8000 kilometres, performing for more than thirty communities.
The production was revived this year to undertake a more
extensive tour, including venues in NSW and new locations in Queensland.
Lucky Queanbeyan was the first NSW stop on this tour, following
which the show will visit another nine NSW venues and a further seven in Queensland.
Initially conceived by the CEO and Artistic Director of
Opera Queensland, Patrick Nolan, as a vehicle to promote the work of Opera
Queensland to a wider audience, the idea was to demonstrate the rather tenuous
connection between the origins of opera and that of country music; both being rooted
in storytelling.
Conceived as a vehicle for three multi-talented singers, this
iteration of “Are You Lonesome Tonight” is performed by Marcus Corowa and
Jonathan Hickey, both original cast from the 2021 tour, with soprano Gabrielle
Diaz replacing original cast member, Irena Lysiuk.
The musical director, accompanist and occasional chorister
is Trevor Jones, whose scene-stealing performance during the recent Canberra
season of The Hayes Theatre production of “The Pirates of Penzance,” is a
fondly remembered highlight. Though on this occasion, Jones is doing his best
to curb his enthusiasm.
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| Jonathan Hickey in "Are You Lonesome Tonight" |
In addition to their accomplished solo vocals, each are masters of at least one musical instrument, contributing instrumental interpolations as well as harmonies to Steve Russell’s ingenious music arrangements. Jonathan Hickey outstanding with his charming violin embellishments, with Marcus Corowa contributing guitar, and Gabrielle Diaz, cello.
They also take turns in delivering sections of the excellent
explanatory dialogue which stressed the connections between opera and country
music. However, in a misguided effort to connect with their audience, their
delivery was often more flippant than necessary, sometimes “talking down.”
Excerpts from operas as varied as Monteverdi’s “The Coronation
of Poppea,” Puccini’s “La Boheme” and Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” vied for
attention with Pat Alexander’s, “I Love to Have a Beer with Duncan” and Dolly
Parton’s “Jolene.”
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| Marcus Corowa in "Are You Lonesome Tonight" |
Memorable solos included Marcus Corowa’s rendition of Troy Cassar-Daley’s “Take a Walk in My Country,” and Jonathan Hickey’s moving version of Banjo Paterson’s “Clancy of the Overflow.”
Gabrielle Diaz demonstrated
her vocal versatility by combining the “Habanera” from Bizet’s “Carmen” with
the Nancy Sinatra hit, “These Boots were made for Walking.”
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| Gabrielle Diaz in "Are You Lonesome Tonight" |
But the items which drew the most applause from the thoroughly engaged audience were the two most unlikely. A surprisingly effective quartet arrangement of the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from the Verdi opera “Nabucco,” and the real hit of the night, a beautifully rendered excerpt from the Kate Miller-Heidt opera “The Rabbits.”
Although early into this tour, it is perhaps worth noting
that this intelligent, entertaining and engagingly presented program is at its
best when the artists allow each item, whether opera or country music, to engage
on its own merits rather than assist with superfluous schtick that detracts from the central premise of the
piece.
Images by Dylan Evans
This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au