The Heartbreak Choir

Aidan Fennessy was dying of cancer when he wrote this excellent Australian play. Caught in Melbourne’s complex response to COVID, he never saw it produced by the MTC in 2022 when planned. But now it has arrived in Sydney as the Christmas production at the Ensemble and the local audience showed its lusty approval with lengthy and thunderous applause. 

While singing in a choir, said Fennessy, ‘each character can hold their differences and be together at the same time.’ And his play goes on to prove that dictum in spades.

The local choir has split and the splinter group - thought by some to be at least 20, but looking more like 7 - has been banished to the Country Fire Association Hall on the outskirts of town. 

Here you’ve got calm psychologist Barbara (Valerie Bader), busy Totty (Georgina Symes), heavily pregnant Aseni from Zimbabwe (Nancy Denis), outspoken Mack (Carita Farrer Spencer) and her softly spoken but loud singing daughter Savanah (Tyallah Bullock). 

When this group warm up with a 5-part song, and agree to call themselves The Heartbreak Choir, you just know you’re in the right hands.

The lack of male voices is a problem, solved by the late arrival of policeman Peter (Jay Laga’aia) who has always got other things on his mind, including a ball-bouncing son Beau (Jasper Lee-Lindsay). Peter solves his audition problem with a sweet rendition of ‘Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so’.

Everybody holds their own, maintaining excellent balance. But this reviewer was struck by the skill of the pregnant Aseni. The voice and presence of Nancy Denis soon won over the entire audience.

Directed up to the hilt by Anna Ledwich on a comfortable setting (and great costume range) by Nick Fry. Many congratulations to Aidan Fennessy (RIP) for dreaming up this fascinating and bewitching Australian story.

Frank Hatherley

Photographer: Prudence Upton