Rita Mckenzie, who is best known for staging the longest-running one-woman show in theatrical history Ethel Merman’s Broadway, has passed away at the age of 76. Her family revealed that the late actress had died after battling a long-term illness.
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According to Deadline, McKenzie started Ethel Merman’s Broadway in 1988. Along with the show, McKenzie appeared in other musicals, including Ruthless! The Musical, Annie Get Your Gun, Anything Goes! and The Female Odd Couple. She was also the opening act for Milton Berle and his 90th Birthday Tour, Don Knotts, Norml Crosby, Donald O’Connor, and Steve Allen.
Rita McKenzie went on to be a producer alongside her husband for the pre-Broadway tour of Ruper Holmes’ All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Holmes issued a statement about McKenzie’s involvement in the production.
“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,” Holmes stated, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“It is fitting that this tribute to one remarkable woman bears the imprimatur of another remarkable woman: the unforgettable Rita McKenzie.”
McKenzie is survived by her husband Scott Stander as well as her children, Jennifer and Derek; son-in-law Tom and daughter-in-law Vanessa; sister Nancy; brother-in-law Joe; and grandchildren Mason, Jackson, and Thomas.
Rita McKenzie Revealed the Advice She Once Received From MGM Star Ann Miller
During a 2016 interview with Theater Scene, Rita McKenzie reflected on her musical acting career over the years.
“This profession has brought me all around the world. Who would have thought, a girl from Wood-Ridge, NJ?” she gushed. “I just knew that I always wanted to do this, but I didn’t have a plan that I was going to go all around the world doing this.”
“There are so many wonderful surprises along the way and you have to try to always be open. There’s always something around the corner.”
Rita McKenzie also spoke about the advice she received from Ann Miller, a tap dance and MGM star. “[She is] someone that I became friends with her toward the end of her life. She called me Rita Pita and she said to me “The thing you are doing now is the best thing you’ve ever done and the next thing you do will be even better.”
“I always think about that and always want to feel that. Always put what you want out there and it’ll come back to you.”