Actor, playwright and screenwriter Leah Purcell has added an opera to her much-acclaimed reworkings of Henry Lawson’s classic short story The Drover’s Wife. The story, retold through an indigenous perspective, achieved award-winning traction as a play, a book and a film.
The idea of turning it into opera came from George Palmer who subsequently composed the music and co-wrote the libretto with Purcell. Like Mussorgsky, Palmer hasn’t been musically trained and consequentially he’s an unapologetic rule breaker.
A curette’s egg, the Indie score is wild, eclectic, a sonic rush through music theatre, populist nuances, art music and pantomime, brushed with influences from Stravinsky, Benjamin Britten, Stephen Sondheim and Rodgers and Hammerstein.
A prolonged stretch of classical recitative, mostly executed by Nina Korbe as Molly, The Drover’s Wife, establishes the narrative. Palmer’s impetuous orchestration drives the emotional pull.
The Glasshouse Theatre Stage dominated by a huge, semi-prone snowgum sheltered a simple wooden shack. Sweeping Australiana projections behind the tree ranged from sheltering branches quivering in gentle winds to vast sunsets, scudding clouds and starry skies. Simple, extremely effective.
Refreshingly, Molly is a three-dimensional heroine, decent and complex, vulnerable yet smart, a fiercely protective mother who, determined to survive and protect her children, takes huge risks. Yes, she suffers, but through sheer will battles against the odds. First Nations soloists Korbe as Molly and Yakada embodied by Marcus Corowa quickly proved their mettle and captured the crowd’s attention.
Korbe not only acted well but sang beautifully with a moving personal investment. As for stamina she had that in spades and just as well for her presence on stage for most of the production depended on it. Corowa’s Yakada had gravitas as the object of horrifying white colonial scorn and brutality.
Yet Corowa’s character’s immense dignity and pride towered on stage. Relentlessly victimised he refused to be defined by it revealing love, compassion, integrity and courage. His singing was affecting. Nick Smith, as Danny, Molly’s son had charm, brought believable character development to the role and sang distinctively.
Strength emanated from the cameo appearances too. Nick Kirkup powerfully voiced as the hateful Trooper Leslie parroted the law and raised ire. Barry Ryan’s loathsome Swaggy spiked the blood pressure. Shauntai Abdul Rahman’s solos had telling pathos as Molly’s Mum Black Mary.
Purcell’s commendable direction lived and breathed in the deep engagement by the entire ensemble – dancers, singers and instrumentalists. All performing to capacity. When there was the odd cringy corner the cast’s bold dedication rendered these inconsequential in a moving account of the horrifying injustice inflicted on indigenous people and the pressures on early settler women in a lawless society.
Authoritatively yet sensitively conducted by Tahu Matheson, The Queensland Orchestra scrupulously avoided the crime of overpowering the singers. Cello and clarinet were favoured with exquisite solos from cellist Hyung Suk Bae, particularly in the scene where Molly is surrounded by comforting spirits after a brutal assault. Irit Silver’s keening clarinet interventions were magical.
Yolande’s insightful choreography empowered the production’s aesthetic and the skilled dancers added depth to the narrative arc. Jeannette Fibila, Leonard Donoahue, Zoy Frangos, Waangenga Blanco, Yolanda Lowatta and Vanessa Coolwell moved distinctively. Fibila emanated grace and charisma as Molly’s protector.
The Drover’s Wife walks and talks in its own way without conforming to traditional norms but the stunning coherence and gloriously entertaining outcome delivers a powerful punch.
The Drover’s Wife – The Opera
Glasshouse Theatre, QPAC, Cultural Precinct, South Bank (Brisbane)
Performance: Saturday 16 May 2026
Season continues to 22 May 2026
Bookings: www.qpac.com.au
Following the Brisbane season, The Drover’s Wife – The Opera will be presented at the Joan Sutherland Theatre – Sydney Opera House from 7 – 15 August 2026. For more information, visit: www.opera.org.au for details.
Images: Marcus Corowa and Nina Korbe in The Drovers Wife – photo by David Kelly | Nina Korbe in The Drovers Wife – photo by David Kelly | Marcus Corowa, Nick Smith and Nina Korbe in The Drovers Wife – photo by David Kelly | The Cast of The Drovers Wife – photo by David Kelly
Review: Gillian Wills