AWARD-WINNING actor and singer Marlon De Bique has died. He was 45.
De Bique died at the San Fernando General Hospital where he was warded since June 14 after falling ill, his family said.
He was CEO of Naparima Bowl, a performance arts theatre in San Fernando, since 2020.
De Bique’s family highlighted his achievements in a statement on Wednesday, beginning at the Presentation College Mixed Choir, where he served as choreographer and costume designer for many of its productions.
The tenor has been involved in several productions by The Marionettes Chorale, The UWI Arts Chorale, 3Canal, and The Trinity Tenors.
In 2008, Living Arts Inc of New York, a performance arts company, acknowledged his talents and cast him in “Sportin’ Life” and “Robbins” in the Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess.
For two years, De Bique, a true ambassador of the arts, toured with the company, performing in more than 70 shows across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Russia, and Poland.
De Bique, a versatile performer, has won several titles at the Bi-Annual Music Festival and captured two Cacique Awards for his roles as Judas in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Jesus Christ Superstar” and Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast.”
His repertoire includes a wide range of characters, from the iconic Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables” to the rebellious Roger in the musical “Rent,” the passionate Don Jose in the opera “Carmen,” and Madea in Raymond Choo Kong’s staging of “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.”
De Bique graduated from the University of the West Indies in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Carnival Studies with a minor in Communication Studies.
He was studying for a post-graduate diploma in International Relations at the University of the West Indies when he died.
De Bique has always described this as a full-circle moment – being at the helm of an institution on which stage he set foot many years prior. His foresight and creative energy injected new life into Naparima Bowl, raising its profile once again as the cultural soul of the South.
As COVID-19 restrictions on the cultural sector were being lifted, De Bique revitalised the use of the facility’s amphitheatre.
In 2021, he spearheaded the staging of “A Bowl Face Parang,” and in April last year, the Naparima Bowl Jazz and Culture Festival with a two-in-one concert titled “Fusion IV – The Jazz Experience.”
In April, De Bique made his play-directing debut with Wole Soyinka’s “The Lion and the Jewel” produced by The UWI Department for Creative and Festival Arts at Queen’s Hall.
De Bique’s family sincerely thanks the doctors, nurses, staff, and the High Dependency Unit of the San Fernando General Hospital for their dedicated care, treatment, and sensitivity since he was admitted on Friday.
