Marina Prior is regarded as Australia’s leading lady of musical theatre and in the recent 2023 King’s birthday Honours, was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.
Marina is best known for her lead role of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera, a role she played for over three years. She has also performed with international stars including Richard Harris, José Carreras and international vocal group Il Divo.
Throughout her career, Marina has played the lead role in over thirty productions including: The Pirates of Penzance, Cats, Les Miserables, Die Fledermaus, Anything Goes, West Side Story, The Secret Garden, Showboat, The Merry Widow, The Witches of Eastwick, Noises Off, Harp on the Willow, Annie Get Your Gun, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Hypocrite, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Guys & Dolls, Mary Poppins, Promises Promises, The Sound of Music, Hello Dolly, Hay Fever , Dream Lover and 9 to 5 The Musical.
She is well known to television audiences through her appearances on Carols by Candlelight and as a judge on Channel Seven’s top rating It Takes Two. In 2015, Marina starred in the ABC television series The Divorce. Marina’s recordings include Leading Lady (which reached platinum status), Aspects of Andrew Lloyd Webber (which reached gold status and for which she was nominated for an ARIA award), Somewhere – the Songs of Sondheim and Bernstein and, more recently, Both Sides Now, Encore and Christmas Candlelight.
Over the years, she has won numerous awards for her performances on stage as well as an Advance Australia Award for her contribution to the performing arts. In 1999, Marina was surprised on stage by the television program This is Your Life, which celebrated her life in the Arts. In 2006, she was honoured with induction into Australia’s 100 Entertainers of the Century.
More recently, Marina played the dual roles of Birdwoman and Miss Andrew, in the Melbourne season of Disney’s Mary Poppins. Marina is currently touring with close friend, David Hobson, with their show The Two of Us. By the end of this year, they will have performed at least 180 shows across Australia.
