Lovely night with Mario

Speaking from his new home on the Mornington Peninsula, opera singer and former Bondi resident Roger Lemke recalls a night off in Adelaide several years ago, when he stumbled upon a Mario Lanza double bill at a local cinema.

As the son of a professional singer, Lemke grew up with music around him, so was he excited about reliving fond memories of watching the opera singer-turned-Hollywood-star on TV as child.

“I always thought, from that day on, that it would be great to do a show about Mario Lanza,” says Lemke.

He has recently been granted this wish for Lemke will be singing the lead role in Mario Lanza: The Loveliest Night of the Year, a concert featuring the songs of the Hollywood legend of the 1950s.

He says that one of the nicest things about the show is the way it wears its nostalgia on its sleeve, and proudly so, because of the affection it draws from its audiences – most of whom were fans when Lanza was still alive.

“We did our first performance in Sale in country Victoria, and the average age in the audience must have been about 70,” he says. “It was very well received.

“This sort of thing is just not done anymore, but audiences still love it. It’s a joy to do this show and bring back this lovely old music.”

The concert follows the tumultuous life of Mario Lanza, the son of Italian migrants who made the leap from opera to Hollywood, before alcoholism triggered a heart attack and he died at the age of 38.

“The concert is very informative about his life, intertwined with beautiful music,” says Lemke.

The concert tour will bring Lemke back to Sydney to play a matinee at the City Recital Hall. No doubt he will be paying a visit to his former home, Bondi, a place he says he still misses for its, “great lifestyle, great cafes and great restaurants”.

“Whenever people would come and stay with me in Bondi they would say ‘my god this is beautiful, why would anyone want to live in New York or London when they could live here?’,” he says.

After Sydney, the tour will take Lemke all over the east coast of Australia, stopping in many country towns along the way, which Lemke is particularly excited about.
Mario Lanza: The Loveliest Night of the Year will be at the City Recital Hall, Angel Place, at 2pm Sunday, May 23. Tickets: $27.50. Book on (02) 8256 2222, or visit www.cityrecitalhall.com.

– By Paris Cowan