Toronto Masque Theatre's next production is a double bill featuring John Blow’s Venus and Adonis (1683) and a re-imagining of an ancient tale from the East, The Lesson of Da Ji (2013), by Alice Ping Yee Ho and librettist Marjorie Chan. Ho's score uses traditional baroque and eastern instruments, including the guquin, which Da Ji must learn to play. Marion will be singing the role of Da Ji, a famous concubine of the Shang dynasty. Da Ji falls in love with a nobleman named Bo Yi, causing the King to exact his revenge at a dinner party for Bo Yi's parents. This performance will take place at the Al Greene Theatre at Spadina and Bloor in Toronto from May 10th to May 12th.

"Mezzo Marion Newman stood out in this excellently prepared cast... [she] was able to bring a wide dramatic and vocal range to the role of Da Ji"

- John Terauds, MusicalToronto.org
Full Review

"Mezzo-soprano Marion Newman has full, rounded voice and easily captures the many facets of Da Ji’s nature – flirtatiousness, anger, fear, shame, pride – that make her such a fascinating character."

- Christopher Hoile, Stage-Door.com
Full Review

Click here for more information and ticket sales.

LA
TRAVIATA

The concert performance of La Traviata with Opera Lyra Ottawa and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, under the baton of maestro Tyrone Patterson, was truly a great success. Here are a few snippets from the critics in which Marion is mentioned for her portrayal of the role of Flora.

"Marion Newman was engaging and captivating as Flora and her interactions with Benjamin Covey (Marchese d’Obigny) and Jonathan Estabrooks (Barone Douphol) were entertaining and reminiscent of a fully staged show. They were extremely entertaining to watch."

- Bonnie Tompkins, Apt 613
Full Review

"There was also some nicely realized work from the likes of Marion Newman as Violetta’s friend, Flora..."

- Jamie Portman, Capital Critics Circle
Full Review

"The lesser roles were generally well portrayed, with special nods to Marion Newman’s Flora and and Brian Wehrle’s Grenvil."

- Richard Todd, Ottawa Citizen
Full Review

"The rest of the cast provided solid and impressive backup particularly Marion Newman as Flora Bervoix... If the opera has one flaw it is that these extremely talented performers do not get more time on stage."

- Nan Cormier, Charlebois Post
Full Review

THREE
LADIES

Marion, Leah Alfred, Melody Mercredi and Gatsby having a backstage cuddle in blue. Magic Flute 2013, Vancouver Opera. Photo credit goes to Simone Osborn who sang a very beautiful Pamina for this production. This was a remount of the 2007 production, back by popular demand. The new video technology allowed for an extremely lush forest and ocean backdrop that brought the audience right into the beautiful wilds of the Pacific West Coast.
 
The stunning First Nations inspired costumes were slightly updated to suit a new cast. Marion was greatly honoured to be asked back for this second production. All Three Ladies are of First Nations background and according to audience reports there seemed to be a special blend when all three voices rang together.

This rendering of the Three Ladies was created by the very talented Third Spirit Roan Shankaruk, and given as a gift to each of the Three Ladies. Roan is definitely going places with her myriad of artistic talents!

Click here to see the YouTube trailer of this magical production.
  

NOYE'S
FLUDDE

Four performances to choose from, November 23 - 25. Come and hear the Viva Youth Singers of Toronto performing this wonderful work by Benjamin Britten. Marion in the role of Mrs. Noye, along with her Gossips (friends), will mock Noah's project, preferring to drink than to help out or even to board the ark. The tuned teacup chorus of raindrops ought to be worth the price of admission alone!
  

October 23, 2012 Devin Hurd at hurdaudio.blogspot.ca writes:

The Continuum Contemporary Music ensemble started off their 2012 season with a strong voice. Or at least a collection of strong voices that balanced out a program of music carving out a wide path of expressive territory. Each piece was exquisitely well rehearsed and presented in a manner that allowed the ears to hear all the way inside the music. Even as the subject material would switch from haunting beauty to complete madness.

The second half of the concert consisted of the Martijn Voorvelt pieces, presented as a continuous work of musical theater. Continuum had spent the last week working directly with the composer to realize the drama Frederick's Doctor and their dedication to the macabre absurdity made for a flawless production of material that was often challenging and brittle. The setting of Doctor Morell Mackenzie's often graphic accounts of the botched diagnosis and surgery upon German emperor Frederick III's laryngeal cancer were occasionally a bit hard to take. Especially given Christopher Mayell's incredible dead-pan delivery. The sense of madness in his text could nearly be tasted in the back of my throat. As this gave way to Marion Newman's performance of a voice robbed of its ability to communicate, the balance of humor and despair was simply delicious. Having the flute player and mezzo-soprano delivering text in rhythmic unison was a particularly striking sonic effect. Especially as the performance transitioned to the vocalist lip-syncing to Anne Thompson whispering through her instrument. It was a brilliant set of pieces that won over my normal aversion to theatrics.

To my ears, the most stunning work on the program was Linda C. Smith's Brush Line. An achingly beautiful work built out of luminous, horizontal strokes of warm sounds along a cold landscape of silence. The constant reference to colors in the text added to the sense of sound painting with their vibrato-less delivery.

Cazone Triste is a virtuosic solo harp piece that gently gives way to song. Sanya Eng's voice eventually shifting into the foreground as she plays to reveal a beautiful sound. The simplicity of her voice balanced well against the confidence of her playing.

The opening work, Music for Klein and Beuys by Christopher Butterfield, set the whimsical-yet-serious tone that anticipated the Martijn Voorvelt experience of the second half. The combination of bass recorder, melodica and banjitar with a percussion part the often consisted of tearing and wadding up newsprint never took on a sense of gimmick as the musical textures proved to be substantive. Written as a memorial to Yves Klein and Josef Beuys, it is a wonderfully unpretentious and warm piece of art music.

Overall, there aren't enough superlatives to lavish upon an evening such as this. An inspired sequence of great pieces of music performed well. Continuum has set high expectations for the season that follows this concert.