This week i had the opportunity to catch up with the lovely Marina Prior and chat with her about her upcoming Tassie tour.
The name Marina means ‘from the sea’ and it’s an appropriate name for one who has the voice of an ocean siren that could enchant the most cynical sailor!
Ironically enough you can also discover a Marina in Shakespeare’s ‘Pericles’, where the character is noted for her musical abilities.
Marina says that of Tasmania, ‘she doesn’t get here often enough’, and when she does it is usually for work so she is delighted that a day off between her Launceston and Hobart shows will give her the chance to explore, and on the cards are a visit to MONA and a chance for this siren to indulge in seafood, especially crayfish!
It’s always been music for Marina, with parents active in amateur Gilbert and Sullivan she tells me she could ‘never, ever’ think of any other career and that music is not just a profession but ‘who I am’.
For the concerts in Tasmania be prepared for a few surprises, not just the musical theatre we know Marina so well for,although that will be celebrated, but expect also ‘all different kinds of music’, from the folk of Joni Mitchell and Cat Stevens, Celtic including both Scottish and Irish music to Marina’s own musical theatre favourites like ‘Phantom of the Opera’, a show that was significant for Marina’s career but something you may not expect and might be pleasantly shocked by is Marina playing guitar, which of course is how it all began for Marina as a busker.
Although ‘Phantom of the Opera’ is significant for Marina she says she doesn’t have a favourite song but it depends on her mood and place she is at.
Demonstrating her diverse talents Mariana will next be performing in ‘Jumpy’ a comedy play with Jane Turner that will see her travel from Melbourne to The Sydney Opera House. For the Soprano performing in a non-musical play will be in some ways a break, as Marina says she won’t have to be concerned with the taxing schedule of a musical or having to be cautious of catching a voice disrupting cold from other cast members!
You can see Marina Prior Songbird at Launceston Country Club on Friday 5 December and at Wrest Point Casino on Saturday the 6 of December.
Paula Xiberras
