‘Once you’re in a choir you’re all equal’: O’Donovan in tune with new role
In her first major theatrical role, powerhouse cabaret performer Libby O’Donovan will take to the stage as Mack in State Theatre Company South Australia’s final production for 2026, The Heartbreak Choir.
She’s best known as a sassy cabaret performer and powerhouse jazz singer but Libby O’Donovan is about to step into her “first straight play” ever, as one of the leads in State Theatre Company South Australia’s production of The Heartbreak Choir.
Penned by the late Aidan Fennessy, who passed away from cancer in 2020, the heartwarming work centres around a small-town community choir who break away from their original choir over a matter of principle.
Having grown up in Broken Hill, O’Donovan says it was easy to tap into her “larger than life” character, as well as understand the other small-town personalities who make up the singing group.
“I grew up in the country, so I totally understand the type of person who my character, Mack, is,” she says.
“My character is kind of larger than life, a big personality in the community, very caring for everyone else but comes across as a big gruff sometimes. But she is actually very huge hearted, a bit like one of those giant teddy bear-type personalities.
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“All of the characters in the play are really an extension of the types of characters you find in any group of people and it’s a really fun exploration of that.”
Directed by Shannon Rush with musical direction by Carol Young, the play also stars Emily Taheny, Genevieve Mooy, Mark Saturno, newcomer Lucia Rose Franks and Billie-Rose Russell, who will play the role of Maude in The Bookbinder of Jericho, in State Theatre SA’s 2027 season.
The play sees the choir meeting in a weathered CFA hall on the edge of town, and the ensuing interactions revolve around notions of grief, second chances and the healing power of music.
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But perhaps the most endearing aspect of this play is that at the end of each performance, a different Adelaide community choir takes to the stage to sing the final song with the cast.
“It’s really special,” says O’Donovan, who runs her own Adelaide community choir called Quoir.
“It is such an incredible joy to just bring people together with music as its focal point, it means everyone is in the same boat.
“It doesn’t matter what you do for a job, or where you stand in terms of society and how people view you. Once you’re in a choir you’re all equal and you’re just all there for a common goal, so it’s just a beautiful thing.”
O’Donovan also espouses the health benefits of singing in a choir and the positive effects it can have on mental health, in particular.
“People might come to choir stressed and tired from their day but they leave so happy and uplifted because it’s like any other form of good wellness practice, like going for a walk or getting enough sleep or eating well,” she says.
“It’s been proven to really bring people out of the depths of any darkness and pull them into a much better headspace.”
The Heartbreak Choir opens at the Dunstan Playhouse from November 20 to December 5.
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