POPULAR and much-loved Australian soprano Marina Prior and tenor David Hobson have a professional and personal relationship spanning more than 30 years. So what better title to describe their 40-performance plus national tour this year than The 2 of Us.
“David and I go back 30 something years, we obviously met when I was two and David was about 30,” says Marina from Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula where she is having a few days’ break before starting rehearsals for the Melbourne season of the Bobby Darin musical Dream Lover.
“We last performed together in WA a few years ago at Leeuwin, the concert was a highlight in such a beautiful place. I would love to do that again. This year we are looking forward to our WA visit – we tour Albany, Mandurah and Perth.”
David intervenes from elsewhere in Melbourne: “Our show is literally a combination of everything we have known in musical theatre and opera. But we are adding something extra that audiences don’t normally expect of us – being very open and honest and stripping away the mask of what our performances usually entail – being ourselves, casual.
“We will have a lot of fun and do stories and scenes. Marina and I love Celtic and folk music and we both play guitars. Music director David Cameron is a brilliant guitarist as well so there will be Celtic music, folk music, pop music and the usual fare we are renowned for.
“Audiences are responding to the fact we are being ourselves on stage and so we come out and touch audiences in a real way.”
Says Marina: “Doing concerts with David is a great highlight for me at any time, he is an extraordinary artist and a great friend. So to be able to make music with your friends and accompanist David Cameron who is also a friend is an incredibly rare and wonderful thing.
“To be able to do what you love doing with people you love… it never ceases to astound me how incredibly blessed we are. We work really hard and have worked hard for a long time. Doing these concerts now is reaping the benefits of a lot of hard work for quite a few decades.”
Says David: “We bring a lot of hard work, artistry and experience garnered over the years. These things don’t happen overnight, it takes years of training. I’m pretty sure audiences will enjoy our show.”
The 2 of Us has already had a short season in Sydney, regional NSW, Melbourne and regional Victoria but the pace heats up this year when the two-hour performance visits most states. Marina and David will perform their classics from productions such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, La Boheme and Carousel, plus songs from their award-winning albums and some carols favourites.
Last year was busy for the pair with Marina appearing in Hello Dolly, moving onto Hay Fever and now Dream Lover.
“It doesn’t always happen like that but it was a very rewarding year. I started the year with concerts with David and then to do a musical, a play, another musical and then a tour is keeping me happy.
I love the diversity of work; doing concert work is very different to doing theatre work. I love them both equally so I feel really lucky to do a bit of everything.”
David performed at the Sydney Opera House recently with bass baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes, musical theatre star Lisa McCune and soprano Greta Bradman in From Broadway to La Scala.
Before their national tour begins Marina appears in Dream Lover until March and David appears in Opera Queensland’s Merry Widow with Natalie Christie Peluso.
It’s a frenetic pace but the pair remain in touch off stage as well. “We meet up for dinner with our families and Marina is a really good cook,” says David.
The 2 of Us plays at Albany Entertainment Centre 10 May, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 12 May and Astor Theatre Perth 13 May. Tickets from Ticketek.
Win Win Win
To be in the draw to win a double pass to any show simply fill in the form below with The 2 of Us in the subject line or write to The 2 of Us c/- Have a Go News PO Box 1042
West Leederville 6901.
Don’t forget to include your name and contact details. Please state your preferred venue. Closes 28/2/18.
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