★★★★☆
The Heartbreak Choir is PIP Theatre’s yearly self-produced mainstage show and the first one I have been able to attend. When I discovered PIP Theatre last year, I was pleasantly impressed. The venue is so welcoming and has an atmosphere that feels like home. It might be the mismatched furniture, the plants throughout the venue or the friendly staff. Whatever it is, I always have an enjoyable experience when I visit PIP Theatre.
The Heartbreak Choir centres around seven characters who are grieving, and through music they deepen their connection with each other. I agree with Sherryl-Lee Secomb’s director’s note that this play is a moving piece that highlights the healing power of music. I commend Secomb for allowing these actors a safe space to explore the emotional journeys these characters each go on.
As I walked into the venue, I immediately recognised the set. A testament to set designer Regan Henry, who encapsulates a community hall so well that it made this reviewer smirk.
From the cut-out window of the kitchenette, the generic toilet sign to portrait of Her Majesty the Queen hanging on the wall, every detail brought back memories of times where I have sat in a similar building learning, creating and connecting.
The story follows choir leader Barbara, played by Catarina Hebbard. Barbara has found a new venue for her choir, and why they need it is something the audience will soon discover.
Hebbard plays a mother figure to the group with a grounded energy. At times, you see the cracks starting to form in her strong facade. Hebbard brings a trusting emotion to her character that reminded me of an aunty. She presents her relationships with each character differently, much like real life. There is no mistaking the experience Hebbard brings to the stage.
The trusty friend of Barbara and the choir treasurer is Totty, played by Diedre Grace. This character is my favourite in the show. I am sure most people in the audience would have someone in their life who is this person. Someone who has lived in this town her whole life, knows the history, knows everybody’s business and has an unexpected wealth and influence.
Grace plays this role expertly, with impeccable comic timing. What the character lacks in social cues, she makes up for in hilarity and heart.
Brightholly Nininahazwe brings her character, Assini, to life with reverence. Assini is someone you immediately like, often acting as the voice of reason as a religious woman, then finding the loophole to take a slight dig. Nininahazwe is a breath of fresh air, entering the room with an obvious love of connecting to others.
Rounding out the original choir members are Mack and Savannah, a mother and daughter played by Gemma Galley and Michael Enright.
Mack is a proud mother who has a hard exterior. Throughout the show, though, she goes on an emotional rollercoaster, something Galley navigates comfortably and confidently. She would be too loud of a character to be in my friend circle. However, in this group, that heightened energy works.
Savannah is quiet, reserved and highly anxious, forced to use sign language when uncomfortable. Admittedly, this was not a character I could particularly relate to; however, Enright makes it so I don’t have to. Enright brings a sincerity to a character who doesn’t have many lines but has many moments. One moment I wish more of the audience noticed was Enright blessing themselves under the portrait of the Queen before realising, “Wait, this isn’t right.”
The remaining characters are Peter and Beau, father and son, played by Bradley McCaw and Benjamin Cole. It is Peter’s wife’s suicide that encourages him to seek out the choir – his late wife’s friends – in an attempt to find understanding and connection.
McCaw brings a purposeful awkwardness to a character who is more used to saying what he thinks as opposed to what he feels. The emotional peaks and troughs throughout are expressive and well placed.
Beau is the reserved son who is burdened by grief, anger and guilt. Cole is fitting in the role, with his confidence growing as the truths are laid bare, eventually joining the choir with his own talent. It is endearing to see the father-son relationship strengthen in a way that, without the choir, may not have happened.
The Heartbreak Choir takes a refreshing look at our relationships and examines what we hold dear. It reminds us that we choose what to celebrate and what breaks our hearts. We choose to connect. We choose our community.
The Heartbreak Choir is presented by PIP Theatre runs to 19 September 2026. 20 Park Road Milton Qld 4064.
Tickets: https://piptheatre.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/166352
Website: https://piptheatre.org/heartbreak-choir/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/piptheatreau/
Images supplied.
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