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.
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 is 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.
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.
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.
Are You Lonesome Tonight
The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, 253 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan
Performance: Tuesday 15 April 2025
Information: www.theq.net.au
Are You Lonesome Tonight continues its tour throughout New South Wales and Queensland. For more information, including performance dates and venues, visit: www.oq.com.au for details.
Image: Marcus Corowa, Gabrielle Diaz and Jonathan Hickey – photo by Dylan Evans