Marin Joy Mazzie (October 9, 1960 – September 13, 2018) was an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre. Mazzie was a three-time

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominee, for her performances as Clara in '' Passion'' (1994), Mother in ''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

'' (1998), and Lilli Vanessi/Katherine in ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-stag ...

'' (1999). For her work in ''Kiss Me, Kate'', Mazzie was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award and

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

, and she won an Outer Critics Circle Award. In addition to appearing in many musical stage productions, Mazzie also performed in concert with her husband,

Jason Danieley Jason D. Danieley (born July 13, 1971) is an American actor, singer, concert performer and recording artist. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was married to fellow performer Marin Mazzie. Career Ben Brantley, in a review of ''Curtains' ...

Early life

Mazzie was born in Rockford, Illinois, and graduated from

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

, where she received degrees in theater and music. With an early interest in the theatre, Mazzie began to perform and sing in church choir at the age of 8 and to study voice at the age of 12. She continued to act in school and at college and in summer stock, where she was an apprentice at the Barn Theatre in

Augusta, Michigan Augusta is a village in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 885 at the 2010 census. The village is mostly within Ross Township, though a small portion extends south into Charleston Township. Augusta is situated ...

. While performing at the Barn, Mazzie befriended composer

Jonathan Larson Jonathan David Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer, lyricist and playwright most famous for writing the musicals ''Rent'' and '' Tick, Tick... Boom!'', which explored the social issues of multiculturalism, ...

, who would go on to write ''Rent''.

Career

After graduating from college in 1982, Mazzie moved to New York City and made her New York stage debut in a 1983 Equity Library Theatre revival of the 1948 musical ''

Where's Charley? ''Where's Charley?'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by George Abbott. The story was based on the 1892 play ''Charley's Aunt'' by Brandon Thomas. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1948 and was revived on Broadway an ...

'' as Kitty Verdun. She appeared in the 1991 off-Broadway Kander and Ebb

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

'' And the World Goes 'Round'' and the subsequent 10-month national tour the following year. She went on to play starring roles in over a half dozen Broadway shows and also developed a cabaret act and made appearances in television. In 1994 Mazzie created the role of Clara in the Stephen Sondheim musical '' Passion''. This production was notable for its opening scene in which she was nude in bed with co-star Jere Shea. In 1998 Mazzie originated the role of Mother in the original production of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's musical ''

''. She played the dual roles of Lilli Vanessi/Katharine in the 1999 revival of ''

'' on Broadway and then transferred to the West End production in 2001. All three roles earned her

nominations. About the 2006 Encores! presentation of '' Kismet'' at

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...

, the ''Variety'' reviewer wrote: "Mazzie steals the comic thunder with a delicious turn as the glamorous Slut of the Casbah (Lalume), lewdly checking out the tasty man-slaves and happily playing along with Hajj's trickery, simply because he's hot. Looking dynamite in a flashy gold Donatella-goes-Mesopotamian number and a

soufflé A soufflé is a baked egg-based dish originating in France in the early eighteenth century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of t ...

of blond curls, Mazzie's campy delivery of 'Not Since Nineveh' and the beyond-jaded 'Bored' succeeds in briefly raising the temperature of the otherwise tepid brew." In May 2008 she appeared as Guenevere opposite

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...

as King Arthur and Nathan Gunn as Lancelot in the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

staged concert presentation of

Lerner and Loewe Lerner and Loewe refers to the partnership between lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe.Kenny, Ellen, and James M. Salem. “A Guide to Critical Reviews, Part II: The Musical from Rodgers-and-Hart to Lerner-and-Loe ...

's '' Camelot'', directed by

Lonny Price Lonny Price (born March 9, 1959) is an American director, actor, and writer, primarily in theatre. He is perhaps best known for his creation of the role of Charley Kringas in the Broadway musical '' Merrily We Roll Along'' and for his New York d ...

. The May 8, 2008 performance of this production was broadcast nationally on ''

Live from Lincoln Center ''Live from Lincoln Center'' is a seventeen-time Emmy Award-winning series that has broadcast notable performances from the Lincoln Center in New York City on PBS since 1976. The program airs between six and nine times per season. Episodes of '' ...

'' on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

. Mazzie appeared in the drama ''

ENRON Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. It was founded by Kenneth Lay in 1985 as a merger between Lay's Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth, both relatively small regional compani ...

'', opening on Broadway in April 2010, as corporate vice president Claudia Roe. She replaced

Alice Ripley Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and mixed media artist. She is known, in particular, for her various roles on Broadway in musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''Next to Normal'' (2009 To ...

as Diana in ''

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing ...

'' on July 19, 2010, opposite her real-life husband, Jason Danieley, as Dan. They stayed with the show until the Broadway production closed on January 16, 2011. On November 20, 2009, Mazzie performed in a reading of a re-worked version of the 1988 Broadway flop '' Carrie'' as Margaret White. She stayed with the production which opened Off-Broadway on March 1, 2012, at the

Lucille Lortel Theatre The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse at 121 Christopher Street in Manhattan's West Village. It was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse. The interior is largely unch ...

. Mazzie appeared as Helen Sinclair in the Woody Allen/Susan Stroman musical '' Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical'', which ran on Broadway from April to August 2014. She assumed the lead role of Anna Leonowens from

Kelli O'Hara Kelli Christine O'Hara (born April 16, 1976) is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages. A seven-time Tony Award nominee, O'Hara won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her pe ...

in the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

revival of '' The King and I''. Mazzie began performances on May 3, 2016, and stayed with the show until it closed on June 26, 2016.

Honors

Mazzie was inducted into the

American Theater Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...

for 2017, in a ceremony at the

Gershwin Theatre The Gershwin Theatre (originally the Uris Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 222 West 51st Street, on the second floor of the Paramount Plaza office building, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Opened in 1972, it is operat ...

held in November 2017. In April 2019, it was announced that Mazzie would be the recipient of a posthumous Special Tony Award for her legacy as an advocate for women's health.

Concerts, TV, and recordings

Mazzie also appeared on television. In the sitcom '' Still Standing'', Mazzie and

Kevin Nealon Kevin Nealon (; born November 18, 1953) is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1986 to 1995, acted in several of the Happy Madison films, played Doug Wilson on the Showtime series '' Weeds'', and p ...

played an antagonistic neighbor couple in recurring roles. She regularly performed in cabarets and concerts. She appeared in a Gala charity concert at Carnegie Hall in 1998, "My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies", hosted by Julie Andrews. She and her husband,

, along with

Faith Prince Faith Prince (born August 6, 1957) is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award as Best Actress in ''Guys and Dolls'' in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations. Life ...

, performed a concert as a tribute to Jerry Herman in October–November 2003 in Utah with the

Utah Symphony The Utah Symphony is an American orchestra based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The orchestra's principal venue is Abravanel Hall. In addition to its Salt Lake City subscription concerts, the orchestra travels around the Intermountain West serving c ...

. This was similar to the Herman tribute Mazzie performed with the

Boston Pops The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Sym ...

in May 2003. Mazzie and her husband performed at the Bay Area Cabaret (San Francisco) season on October 23, 2005, performing their "Opposite You" program. In November 2005 they released an album, ''Opposite You'' (

PS Classics PS Classics is a record label that specializes in musical theatre and standard vocals, founded in 2000 by Grammy-nominated freelance producer Tommy Krasker and singer/actor Philip Chaffin. Recent Broadway cast recordings from PS Classics includ ...

label), consisting of songs sung in their cabaret program.

Personal life

Mazzie was married to fellow Broadway actor

, whom she met in 1996 in a play they performed together, ''Trojan Women: A Love Story''.

Death

Mazzie died on the morning of September 13, 2018, following a three-year battle with

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

. She was survived by her husband, her mother, and her brother. In honor of Mazzie's work, the lights of every single

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

dimmed for one minute at 6:45 p.m. on September 19, 2018.

Stage appearances (selected)

:''Note: Broadway unless noted'' * '' Big River'' (1985): Mary Jane Wilkes (replacement) * '' Into the Woods'' (1987):

Rapunzel "Rapunzel" ( , ) is a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm and first published in 1812 as part of '' Children's and Household Tales'' (KHM 12). The Brothers Grimm's story developed from the French literary fairy tale of '' Persinet ...

, (u/s Witch,

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

, Florinda, Lucinda) (replacement) * '' Passion'' (1994): Clara (original) * '' Out of This World'' ( Encores! staged concert) (1995): Helen * ''

'' (1998): Mother (original) * ''

'' (revival) (1999): Lilli Vanessi/Katharine * '' Man of La Mancha'' (revival) (2002): Aldonza (Dulcinea) (replacement) * ''

110 in the Shade ''110 in the Shade'' is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt. Based on Nash's 1954 play '' The Rainmaker'', it focuses on Lizzie Curry, a spinster living on a ranch in the American southwest, ...

'' (revival, Los Angeles) (2004): Lizzie Curry * '' Brigadoon'' (revival, Los Angeles) (2004): Fiona MacLaren * ''

Spamalot ''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot'') is a musical comedy with music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, and lyrics and book by Idle. It is adapted from the 1975 film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail''. Like the motion pictu ...

'' (2006–2008): The Lady of the Lake (replacement) * '' Camelot'' (

staged concert) (2008): Guenevere * ''

'' (2010): Claudia Roe (original) * ''

'' (2010): Diana Goodman (replacement) * '' Carrie'' (revival, off-Broadway) (2012): Margaret White * ''

Bullets Over Broadway ''Bullets Over Broadway'' is a 1994 American black comedy crime film directed by Woody Allen, written by Allen and Douglas McGrath and starring an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri and Jennifer Tilly. The fil ...

'' (original) (2014): Helen Sinclair * '' The King and I'' (revival) (2016): Anna Leonowens (replacement) * ''

Fire and Air Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are pr ...

'' (original, off-Broadway) (2018): Misia Sert

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mazzie, Marin 1960 births 2018 deaths Actresses from Illinois American musical theatre actresses American television actresses Actors from Rockford, Illinois Musicians from Rockford, Illinois Western Michigan University alumni Deaths from ovarian cancer Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Special Tony Award recipients 21st-century American women