MARINA Prior and David Hobson, legends of musical theatre, will be bringing songs, anecdotes and laughs to Swan Hill as part of their encore show tour “The 2 Of Us”.
Speaking to The Guardian, Prior said these concerts are something she has loved having the opportunity to do, especially in front of regional audiences.
“I’ve just come out of Mary Poppins, which is a massive big musical, but there is something really special about doing an up close and personal show where you get to be yourself and not a character,” Prior said.
“I love the freedom of getting to sing everything that we love, and I love the freedom of being able to chat and laugh a lot.”
Prior and Hobson, accompanied by renowned pianist David Cameron, are set to perform classic songs from productions such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in a two hour intimate performance.
“It seems to be what the audiences really respond to – I guess being used to seeing us in a more scripted and kind of structured scenario within a big musical or play or opera, they are not used to seeing us just be relaxed and chatty,” Prior said.
“They love the backstage stories that we tell, it’s like an insight into what really goes on. We love it, and therefore they love it, that’s generally the way it goes.”
First making their theatrical debuts together in a production of The Pirates of Penzance, Prior and Dobson have been friends for a long time and have a “great musical simpatico”.
“He is one of my closest friends in the world, so there’s a huge relaxed vibe between us, and there is a chemistry that is something you can’t manufacture – we just genuinely bounce off each other really well,” Prior said.
“I’ve been doing it for 40 years now, we both have, and it’s just what I love doing,” Prior said.
“It’s that thing of doing what you feel like you’ve been born to do – I don’t have to search for the passion, it’s just the love and enjoyment of getting to still do it after 40 years.”
‘The 2 Of Us’ encore show will be held at the Swan Hill Town Hall on Sunday, August 13, at 3pm. To purchase tickets or to find out more, visit the Swan Hill Town Hall website at https://swanhilltownhall.com/events/the-2-of-us/
