Scandal, seduction, shipwreck and song.
Original diva Anna Bishop, a daring contemporary of Queen Victoria, shattered expectations and redefined independence when she left her famous composer husband to forge her own artistic path.
Bravely defying social norms of the time, and forced to leave her beloved children behind, she toured the globe with her genius harpist lover, surviving shipwrecks, tiger attacks, boom-bust fortunes and epidemics. This early suffragette and woman of many firsts, with her ‘who dares wins’ attitude to life, blazed the trail for others to follow. Her story is woven into our colonial history and character set as a Victorian soiree, soprano Sarahlouise Owens with pianist David Kram, brings Anna’s extraordinary journey to life through songs and arias of the era, such as home sweet home, Lucia mad scene and the last rose of summer.
This award-winning show is coming to the Newcastle Fringe Festival to entrance audiences.