Hearts on their sleeves: A lovestruck reflection

Harmonious, romantic and soulful singing as well as glamorous drag? The fourth installation of ongoing Illawarra cabaret The Lonely Hearts Club was an absolute treat, to say the least.

Updating the venue from Side Door Theatre to The Music Lounge in the Town Hall and featuring the stellar drag trio of Magnus Opium, Annie Holsagole and Fancy, the show was a choral love letter to the trials and tribulations of all human relationships – held, fittingly perhaps, on the evening of Valentine's Day.

A wide range of audience members settled into the cosy venue, including myself, with appropriate decor and a lively jazz soundtrack to set the mood until our stars made their entrance.

I thoroughly enjoyed the strong opener, Where Is My Husband!, which immediately threw us into a fun energy with satisfying harmonies. As the show went on, so did the banter, which flowed naturally between the three performers, keeping us engaged with fantastic chemistry. Additionally, the fabulous matching red outfits were an eye-catching mood-booster, and the dazzling visual presentation that drag provides only enhanced the night’s experience.

Annie Holsagole served up an emotional and relatable cover of The Winner Takes It All, followed by (They Long to Be) Close to You, a classic and dreamy tune from the three, demonstrating further variety from the group.

Along with a slowed and tearjerking rendition of One of Your Girls from King Magnus, I became quite melancholic during parts of the show, reflecting through music on my own relationship stories and histories. However, what would be one of the highlights was the “confession box”.

The Lonely Hearts trio announced just before the first set had concluded that they would provide the option for audience members to write an anonymous confession and slip it into the box provided, and they would proceed to read out the gossip. I wrote a (tame) note of my own, and the interactive element of this activity excited the audience collectively. The tone had shifted, and things felt almost intimate, if they weren’t already.

Song by song and drink by drink (courtesy of The Music Lounge’s gracious bar staff), the crowd grew bolder, and so did the confessions. Everyone had a good laugh at Fancy’s dramatic readings of the anonymous secrets, leaving us wondering and yearning for more.

And more they did provide. Remastered from their very first show, the bittersweet adaptation Hey-Ya was a hit, and wrapping up the second set on a cheerful note was Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, getting everyone up out of their seats to dance along for one last jubilee of love. It was an awe-inspiring conclusion to a very cathartic and abundant show.

For me, The Lonely Hearts Club is an annual exploration of interpersonal relationships, with heartfelt intentions in every song. The message I always come back to find in this show is about amalgamation of love and loss, and how they can be the two sides of the same coin.