The Heartbreak Choir: A Heartwarming Antidote To A Tumultuous Year
The Ensemble Theatre goes gently into the festive season with a heartwarming production that imbues all the qualities that could also be a pathfinder to survive, not only Xmas but life in general. The Heartbreak Choir is a seven handed ensemble work that requires all to bring their best games to the stage, including choral singing.
Written by the late Melbourne playwright Aidan Fennessy, this is the second outing for the play that is firmly grounded in the healing powers of friendship and community, but they do not come without a sometimes painful journey.
Keeping the play from descending into the saccharine is the sense of something deeper and darker to come at the end of the first act, but what that may be we are not sure as by now we know that the writing is never going to leave the realms of real-life drama.
When it comes it does so with relief because now this well-matched cast has something other than ensemble singing to contend with.
Suddenly the unit that has been created by considerable effort and conniving is under threat, and not just from outside forces.
The question quickly arises as to whether or not certain individuals, their choir, their collective memories and friendships will survive sharpens the writing and lifts this production out of the mundane.
Overshadowing this play is the untimely death in 2020 of its prolific writer Aidan Fennessy, who has delivered a nuanced script that soars through its arcs to deliver a denouement that is emotionally and intellectually satisfying.
Director Anna Ledwich has taken a cast of notable Sydney actors and honed their timings to perfection while allowing their individual stage personalities a range of arcs that supports believability.
Valerie Bader’s character Barbara introduces us to the setting of a country CFA hall while setting up the premise for the choir practice to follow.
As she navigates the broken electricals of the hall, they become a metaphor for the broken relationships of the characters and entity of the choir that we are about to be introduced to.
Georgina Symes is Totty and she delivers a performance that captivates as her character bares all for the ambitions of the choir.
Every town has a resident goth and here it is played to subdued perfection by Tyallah Bullock.
The welcome surprise of this production is Nancy Denis in the role of Aseni, a refugee woman with a surprising secret.
As Mack, Carita Farrer Spencer embodies her role as the one who has the soul the be the glue for this disparate group.
All eyes are on veteran performer Jay Laga-aia as the town cop Peter whose character slowly opens up into being a force in this production.
A real surprise in this is Jasper Lee Lindsay as Peter’s son Beau who displays a wide range of emotions after a subdued introduction.
Set and costume designer Nick Fry has hit a double home run as his set consisting of a functioning country hall kitchen divided by a bench and screen that also divides the dysfunction of greater hall.
Fry’s costumes all belong to the ordinary for the roles with only Savannah displaying individuality with her choice of either black or white.
Lighting from Verity Hampson relies creatively on neon strip lights that may or may not be functioning, while composer and sound designer Steve Francis is constrained by the realistic atmosphere he must work in but achieves a believable atmosphere.
The Heartbreak Choir is a slow burner that gets there with a joyously embraced ending and is the perfect antidote to a tumultuous year.
The Heartbreak Choir is on the Ensemble Theatre until January 12, 2025.
