With episodes nearing 350 in the STAGES archive, it’s time to revisit conversations featured in our previous seasons. STAGES spotlights such episodes, in case you missed them the first time ‘round - or so you can simply savour, a second listen. Either way, you’ll be accessing precious oral histories from the people who were there, on and around our stages.

In February 2020 we lost a great artist. Maureen Howard was a star across many platforms - radio, television, musical theatre, operetta and opera. STAGES was enraptured to be in her company and record a conversation of such extraordinary history, contagious humour and fierce reflection. Long after the recording stopped, Maureen entertained with anecdote and cheeky reminiscence. It was a thrill to be in her audience - even in her kitchen!

A brief stint as a hairdresser lead Maureen Howard to a career in musical theatre and then Opera, after a customer enquired if she’d planned to do anything with her singing.

Maureen had been a regular performer on Channel 7’s Sunnyside Up in the early years of television in Australia.

Roles in The Music Man, Man of La Mancha and The Most Happy Fella for the Garnett Carroll organisation quickly followed, allowing her to explore the dynamic quality of her voice.

Proving that she had an instrument that could extend to Opera, she soon established herself as one of the country’s leading voices, singing roles in Madama Butterfly, Tosca and La Boheme during the 1970’s.

In recent years she returned to Opera Australia to perform in Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and as The Witch in Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel. Her final performance was that of Old Heidi in Sondheim’s Follies - in Concert, singing the ethereal ‘One More Kiss’.

Maureen was a wonderful human being. She was also a very fine artist of whichever form she chose to interpret. Please enjoy this treasured memory from the STAGES archive.

The Stages podcast is available from Apple podcasts, Spotify, and where you find your favourite podcasts. www.stagespodcast.com.au