Marvin Laird Archives - TheaterScene.net

Marvin Laird

Legendary Actress and Singer Rita McKenzie on a Career That Has Taken a Jersey Girl All Over the World

June 28, 2016

Growing up in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, Rita McKenzie never imagined the places that her career would take her. Traveling all over the world with "Ethel Merman’s Broadway," McKenzie has shared the life and career of an international superstar with audiences from different cultures and backgrounds who continue to honor her legacy. Along the way, McKenzie has also made discoveries about herself and her desire to always keep growing and learning in an ever-changing world. [more]

Ruthless! The Musical

July 17, 2015

With stardom and the ever-present celebrity culture plaguing our world today, à la famous families such as the Kardashians, the relationship between “momager” and talent takes the crown when it comes to merciless behavior in the fight to the top. The obsession with fame and fortune has only escalated since 1992, when "Ruthless! The Musical" first premiered, and now this Off-Broadway revival treats modern audiences to a heaping helping of bratty and manipulative behavior, presented in the sweetest of packages. [more]

Gypsy

March 2, 2003

Within seconds after musical director Marvin Laird picks up his baton, you will know why composer Jule Styne's slam-bang overture to "Gypsy" is considered by many the greatest and the most invigorating overture ever written for an American musical (okay, so you prefer Leonard Bernstein's more highfalutin "Candide"). Know this, however, that those who do go to this "Gypsy," will hear, probably for the very last time, the sound of 24 musicians in the pit (thanks to the concessions made during the recent strike). That alone is worth the price of admission. [more]