Musical theatre luminary Rita McKenzie—celebrated for her brassy performances in “Ethel Merman’s Broadway,” one of the longest-running one-woman shows in theatrical history—passed away at age 76 after succumbing to a long-term illness on Feb. 17, her husband Scott Stander announced. She died peacefully, surrounded by her family in Los Angeles.
Ms. McKenzie sauntered onto the stage in 1988 with her powerful impersonation of the late singer Ethel Merman—who passed away on Feb. 15, 1984, at the age of 76 after she was diagnosed with brain cancer. Paying tribute to the Broadway icon, Ms. McKenzie launched her critically acclaimed solo show off-Broadway at New York’s John Houseman Theater, according to The Stander Group.
The New Jersey native also portrayed some of Ms. Merman’s most memorable roles. Most notably, she played the titular role of Annie Oakley in the 50th-anniversary production of “Annie Get Your Gun,” starring opposite Glenn Yarbrough. Additionally, she played Reno Sweeney in “Anything Goes” and Mama Rose in “Gypsy.”
Ms. McKenzie took the stage as Olive Madison opposite “I Dream of Jeannie” star Barbara Eden, who played Florence Unger, in the national touring production of Neil Simon’s female version of “The Odd Couple.” The role garnered Ms. McKenzie a National Broadway Theatre nomination as Best Actress in a Touring Play.
Following the news of the singer’s passing, Ms. Eden paid tribute to her late friend online. “Saturday, we lost a star. From the stages of New York to the big screen and small screen, my dear friend Rita McKenzie did it all,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Remembering Rita McKenzie
With an illustrious stage career that spanned decades, Ms. McKenzie has portrayed a variety of other iconic roles, including that of Lita Encore in the off-Broadway Los Angeles premiere of “Ruthless! The Musical,” which opened at the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills in 1993. (The historic theater later closed its doors in 2004.)According to The Stander Group, some of the singer’s other starring roles include playing Aldonza in “Man of la Mancha,” Ruth in “The Pirates of Penzance,” Belle Poltrine in “Little Me,” Domina in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” Cleo in “The Most Happy Fella,” Widow Corney in “Oliver!,” and Nurse Custer in “Whoopee!”
Aside from her musical theatre roles, Ms. McKenzie was an accomplished television and film actress. On-screen, she played the housekeeper Alice in “The Brady Bunch: The Final Days,” Mrs. Littlejohn in “Frasier,” and guest-starred in “Caroline in the City,” among many others.
More recently, she served as a producer on the pre-Broadway tour of Rupert Holmes’s “All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” per Talkin' Broadway.
“Over the decades, I was thrilled to see the range and depth of roles in which Rita triumphed, and during these last three years, I was honored and grateful to work closely with her on ‘All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg,’” Mr. Holmes said in a statement, noting that the play was “commissioned and inspired” by Ms. McKenzie and her husband, Scott Stander, the show’s lead producer.
“During the play’s development and rehearsals, Rita’s insights as a savvy theatrical pro and one of the warmest and wittiest humans I’ve had the privilege to know were invaluable in sculpting the piece into the success it has become,” he continued. “It is fitting that this tribute to one remarkable woman bears the imprimatur of another remarkable woman: the unforgettable Rita McKenzie.”
Ms. McKenzie is survived by her husband, Scott Stander, her daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Tom Otto, her son and daughter-in-law, Derek Pflug and Vanessa, as well as her sister, Nancy, brother-in-law Joe, and grandchildren Mason, Jackson, and Thomas.
