Martha Jones was a delight as the infectious and titular cat. She consistently held the ear and eye with a magnetism that easily charmed. (David Truslove, Opera Today) Martha Jones' Cat is the mainstay here: suitably feline with a touch of know-all swagger, never overdoing the plumed sombrero and thigh-boots flamboyance. Her flexible mezzo uses a range of colours to most telling effect; moments of quasi-purring or mewing, never histrionic, are mimicked by the violin in Lyness’s neat reduction of the score, in which the glockenspiel adds shimmer. (Rian Evans, The Guardian)
Cat: Il Gato con Botas
Fanny Price: Mansfield Park
Grange Festival
“Martha Jones was a persuasive Fanny Price who gave an emotionally controlled performance with plenty of colour and warmth in her lyrical mezzo.” (Bachtrack) “The performance is expert...Among a lively and accomplished cast of mostly young singers I would single out Martha Jones’s Fanny, Henry Neill’s Edmund and Shelley Jackson’s Mary Crawford. “ (Rupert Christiansen: The Telegraph) “Fanny Price is a tricky heroine on page and on stage, and it’s testament to Dove’s imagination and Martha Jones’s thoughtful portrayal that here she speaks eloquently” (The TImes) “Martha Jones made a strong Fanny Price, conveying the character's emotional depth and showing real purpose particularly in Act Two. She did a fine balancing act between moral strength and charm, whilst singing with lyrical freedom. And, in moments like the scene in Mr Rushworth's park where she is abandoned by all her companions, Jones brought out the character's real poignancy.” (Planet Hugill) “Jonathan Dove’s music rises to the occasion in terms of drama and characterisation.... he portrays Fanny Price very persuasively – the perceptive, diffident teenager’s old soul, the moral compass who keeps her own counsel and who thinks before she acts – it’s a gift of a part and was played with great insight, poise and passion by Martha Jones, who plucked any number of heartstrings in her soliloquy over her distress for her beloved Edmund’s ludicrous infatuation with Mary Crawford and expressed Fanny’s growing confidence with great conviction.” (Classical Source)
“Martha Jones’ warm mezzo as Hermia was the pick of a decent quartet of lovers.” (Mark Pullinger: Bachtrack) "The singers were game ... and all four sang with gusto – Martha Jones (Hermia) and Edmund Danon (Demetrius) particularly impressed with their rich tone and firm phrasing.” (The Telegraph: Rupert Christiansen)
“Martha Jones, as Buonafede’s tyrannised maid, Lisetta, lights the show with the lunar beauty of her mezzo.” (Hilary Finch: The Times) “There was a deal more comic subtlety in Lisette as played by Martha Jones, whose warm, sinuous mezzo is alone worth the price of a ticket.” (Peter Reed: Classical Source) “Busfield’s pairing with Martha Jones’s outstanding Lisetta is a comic treat” (Tim Ashley: The Guardian) Reviews for Il Mondo Della Luna (ETO)
Nero: The Coronation of Poppea
I love the way the singers in the central roles — Jessica Cale’s languidly wheedling Poppea; Martha Jones’s unhinged Nero - pace their delivery, allowing the meaning of some lines to sink in slowly, while galvanising other passages into prestissimo outbursts of pure venom or frustration. Richard Morrison: The Times
English Touring Opera
The evening was also made by the strength of the performances ... With her accomplished mezzo-soprano, Martha Jones was a highly sensitive and loyal Friday. (Five star review by Sam Smith for Music OMH) In the breeches role of Friday, mezzo-soprano Martha Jones comes near to stealing the show. The glowing purity of her voice enhances a beautifully acted part, as she portrays the simple boyish candour of the artless Friday. It is a picture of discovery, but of the innocence of the pubescent Friday. He is rather like a Cherubino, but without the guile and without the lust. (Mark Aspen)
Dorabella: Cosi fan Tutte
"Martha Jones is a warmly engaging Dorabella." (Rupert Christansen: The Telegraph) "A strong cast and superb singing make this stylish staging the most enjoyable in years." (Tim Ashley: The Guardian)
English Touring Opera
Martha Jones gave a powerfully characterised performance as Annina, without ever over-dominating the scene, and I hope to hear more of her. (Planet Hugill)
Nancy: Albert Herring
“…the most touching moments are those between Charles Rice’s suavely devious Sid and Martha Jones’s fetching Nancy” (Nick Kimberley: Evening Standard) “Much thought clearly went into who should fill the roles of Sid and Nancy (baritone Charles Rice and mezzo Martha Jones), for this loving pair seemed vocally as well as dramatically perfect for each other” (Colin Clarke: Seen and Heard) "(Charles Rice’s)…. partnership with Martha Jones’ Nancy was one of the delights of the evening, their lovers’ interplay believable. Jones was coquettish and sympathetic to Albert’s plight.” (Mark Pullinger: Opera Britannia) "Martha Jones displays an attractive voice and personality as Nancy, the girl of Herring’s hopeless, suppressed affections." (Graham Rogers: “The Stage”) "The cannily selected cast is without any spots of weakness. Sid and Nancy (Charles Rice and Martha Jones, both excellent) are not a pair to be trusted." (Rupert Christiansen: The Telegraph)
English Touring Opera