Born in country Victoria, Marjorie Lawrence was one of the greatest dramatic sopranos of her generation, who stunned the audience at The Met when she rode a horse on stage as Brünnhilde. So why is she barely remembered today? As a new documentary film is released, Deborah Jones explores her extraordinary life, which included a Hollywood film and a bout of polio that left her in a wheelchair but still singing.

Marjorie Lawrence
Marjorie Lawrence in the 1930s

There was a time when Marjorie Lawrence was a bona fide celebrity, the glamorous international star of opera who endearingly never forgot her roots in country Victoria. Australians thrilled to her success abroad and feted her when she came home. When she arrived at Melbourne’s Spencer Street Station...