Marcia Mitzman Gaven
Encyclopedia
Marcia Mitzman Gaven is an award-winning American actress from New York. Since studying at the High School of Performing Arts
and the State University of New York at Purchase
, she has appeared in many musicals during her career singing in both mezzo-soprano
and soprano
roles. Her Broadway
debut came in 1979 when she played Betty Rizzo in Grease
, serving as the replacement for the original actress of the role. In the 1980s she appeared in the musicals The Rocky Horror Show
, Oliver!
, Zorba, Nine
, Anything Goes
, Chess
, and Welcome to the Club, and in the operas Brigadoon
, South Pacific
, and Sweeney Todd
.
In 1992, Gaven played the character Mrs. Walker in a new production called The Who's Tommy
at La Jolla Playhouse
. The musical was a success, resulting in its move to Broadway in 1993. Gaven was praised by critics for her performance and received a Tony Award
nomination in the "Best Featured Actress in a Musical" category. She eventually had to leave The Who's Tommy before its Broadway run ended because of an allergic reaction to a smoke effect used in the show. In 1995, she won an Ovation Award and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
for her portrayal of Florence Vassy in Chess at Hudson Theatre
. She was also awarded an Ovation Award for the role of Mother in the staging of the musical Ragtime
at Shubert Theatre
in 1997. Gaven's latest role in a musical was in a 2001 production of 1776
by UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Since then she has appeared in concerts and fundraisers.
Gaven has also made guest star appearances in numerous television shows and films, playing both live-action and animated roles. She voiced several characters in the animated series The Simpsons
from 1999 until 2002, including Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Miss Hoover, and others. She was hired after the original actress for these characters departed from the show. Gaven has also lent her voice to television and radio advertisements. She is currently married to Seth Gaven, who works with film marketing.
, New York
. She was raised with her two siblings in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
by their mother Patricia Mitzman, who had previously had a career in art. Newt Mitzman, their father, directed television specials and commercials for a living. Gaven went to Hackley Elementary School in Tarrytown, New York
when she was young. At that time she was certain that she wanted to work in show business. As the result of a lie, she was able to study at the High School of Performing Arts
even though the school was only open to inhabitants of New York City. She then became a drama major at the State University of New York at Purchase
, though she did not get a degree. She said in a 1987 interview with The New York Times
that "they kicked me out because I missed a major rehearsal", and she never applied for readmission since she had already made her first appearance on Broadway
in Grease
by then. While at Purchase, Gaven performed in student productions such as The Taming of the Shrew
and Trumpets and Drums
.
Gaven has had a prominent career in musical theatre and has appeared in many rock musicals. She told TheaterWeek
in 1993 that she thinks those kinds of musicals are harder to sing in compared to standard musicals, and that "the nature of rock and roll is that it's on the edge. It's written to be done dangerously. You can't be careful and do it at the same time. If you don't do it dangerously, you run the risk of losing the impact." During her career, Gaven has sung in both mezzo-soprano
and soprano
roles, and has been cited for her belting
. According to Alvin Klein
, theatre critic for The New York Times, she "is categorically a mezzo soprano." Gaven has also been noted for her strong voice, and was once told by a sound technician at An Evening Dinner Theater in Elmsford, New York
that "We always turn off the mikes when you sing" because she did not need amplification.
In March 1979, when Gaven was twenty years old, she served as the replacement actress for the character Betty Rizzo in the original Broadway production of Grease. This was her Broadway debut. In late 1980, she was cast in the lead role of Janet in the musical The Rocky Horror Show
that ran for six nights at Warner Theatre
. It tells the story of a couple, Brad and Janet, who find themselves lost one night and end up in the laboratory of an alien doctor. The cast, including Gaven, was praised by critics. In 1984, she played a Londoner in the revival of Oliver!
at Broadway and was the understudy
for the major role of Nancy. That same year, in the Broadway revival of Zorba, Gaven played the role of The Widow who is eventually stoned to death by the townspeople after being held responsible for the suicide of a young boy who fell in love with her. She then portrayed the character Luisa, the wife of an Italian film director, in a production of Nine
at An Evening Dinner Theater in 1985.
Gaven starred in the New York City Opera
's Broadway revival of Brigadoon
, in which she played Meg Brockie, at New York State Theater
in 1986. The story is about a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years, and Meg is one of the villagers. According to Sy Syna of the magazine The World & I, Gaven was "a huge crowd pleaser" in the role. She was also cast in the New York City Opera's spring 1987 revival of South Pacific
as the female lead character Nellie Forbush, a U.S. Navy
nurse who works on a South Pacific
island during World War II
. This nine-week run of South Pacific had an alternating cast and Nellie was also portrayed by Susan Bigelow. Later that year in July during the New York City Opera's regular season, she appeared in the opera company's Sweeney Todd
as Mrs. Lovett
, who makes and sells meat pies made from the victims of serial killer Sweeney Todd
.
In Pioneer Theatre Company
's fall 1988 production of Anything Goes
, Gaven played the lead role of nightclub singer Reno Sweeney. It is set on an ocean liner on which Reno helps the character Billy Crocker win the heart of the engaged Hope Harcourt who he has fallen in love with. While reviewing the musical for the Deseret News, Joseph Walker commented that Gaven "is sensational as Reno Sweeney, the saucy, sassy hoofer-with-a-heart-of-gold. She has an arresting presence and a golden voice; the whole show always seems better when she's on stage." At the end of 1988, Gaven returned to the musical Oliver! in a Theatre Under The Stars
production in Houston, starring as Nancy. A critic for the Houston Chronicle
commended her performance, writing that she "acts the compassionate Nancy with warmth and spirit, and sings in a strong voice full of character."
Also in 1988, Gaven played the part of the Russian chess player's wife Svetlana in the short-lived Broadway production of the musical Chess
, for which she was praised by critics. The following year she appeared as Carol Bates in the Broadway musical Welcome to the Club. It revolves around four men who have been put in jail for not paying alimony
. The musical shows why they ended up divorcing their wives, one of which is played by Gaven. Both Chess and Welcome to the Club were unsuccessful. John Simon criticized the latter musical in a New York Magazine review but praised Gaven's performance, writing: "The cast ranges from the charmless to the hopeless [...] in this mess. Only Marcia Mitzman manages to stand out from the crowd, and when she gets the right part in the right show, she'll do just fine." Associated Press
drama critic Michael Kuchwara
also wrote negatively about Welcome to the Club while giving praise to Gaven for projecting "a sympathy [to her character] that isn't apparent in the book."
in Seattle, Washington
. A theatre critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
noted that she "has the voice to anchor anything you'd care to name, even the 5th Avenue Theatre. 5th Avenue performers often sound as if they were speaking and singing through a football stadium public address system. But Mitzman overpowers malevolent acoustics." After Oliver!, she appeared as Countess Charlotte Malcolm in Ahmanson Theatre
's production of A Little Night Music
that was performed from April 18 to June 30, 1991 at James A. Doolittle Theatre in Los Angeles, California
. Gaven worked at 5th Avenue Theatre again in December 1991 in the musical Here's Love
. She portrayed the divorced Doris Walker, a single-working mother of a girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus
. During spring 1992, she played the love interest of a male songwriter and his best friend in the musical The Tin Pan Man (set in 1905) at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
.
Starting at the beginning of July 1992, Gaven appeared in a new musical called The Who's Tommy
at La Jolla Playhouse
in San Diego. It was based on the rock opera album Tommy by The Who
. Gaven starred as Mrs. Walker, the mother of the boy Tommy who is traumatized when he sees his father murder Mrs. Walker's new boyfriend. Tommy ultimately becomes non-responsive, leading people to believe that he is deaf, mute, and blind, and his parents try to find a cure for his condition. Gaven later told TheaterWeek that she initially did not want to do the musical, since she "had no idea how this could be staged as a theatrical piece. I hoped my agents wouldn't call me and ask me to audition." However, they did, and she was cast as Mrs. Walker after an audition in which she sang the song "Heaven Help My Heart" that she performed in Chess, also a rock musical. The Who's Tommy was La Jolla Playhouse's biggest success yet and as a result its run was lengthened by several weeks. Later that year, Gaven once again played Doris in Here's Love—this time in a Theatre Under The Stars production.
In late 1992 it was announced that because of the success of The Who's Tommy, it would be produced for Broadway and open in April 1993. The production cost eight million dollars and it broke the box office record for the biggest non-opening day with US$494,897 earned on April 23, 1993 at St. James Theatre
(where the musical opened on April 22), beating Guys and Dolls
1992 record. Des McAnuff
, who directed the musical at both La Jolla Playhouse and on Broadway, decided to bring many actors from the original cast with him despite weeks of auditions with thousands of actors trying out for the roles in front of him. The Broadway production featured some changes to the musical, such as a new song devoted to Tommy's parents that Gaven thought "helps show their side of the story." However, as she told The San Diego Union-Tribune, the biggest difference was the increased amount of money she earned. Gaven was praised by critics for her portrayal of Mrs. Walker in the Broadway production, with one critic from The Miami Herald
writing that her "alluring alto
voice makes you wish Tommy's mother had even more to sing."
It was announced on May 10, 1993 that The Who's Tommy had received eleven Tony Award
nominations, tying with Kiss of the Spider Woman
for the most nominations that year. Gaven received a nomination in the "Best Featured Actress in a Musical" category. However, as the result of an allergic reaction, she could not perform in the musical some nights. When Daryl Miller interviewed Gaven in the Los Angeles Times
in 1997, he noted that "this was one of the biggest disappointments of her life, and clouds cross her face for the first time in the conversation. She glances across the room at the Tony citation—recognizing her nomination for best featured actress in a musical—as she describes how her throat became infected due to a reaction to the oil in a haze-making compound that designers pump onstage to enhance lighting effects. She missed a lot of performances, and an untold number of Tony voters missed her performance. She can't help but wonder how that affected the outcome." At one point, Gaven's understudy Alice Ripley took her place for eight consecutive weeks while Gaven recovered. Gaven eventually had to leave The Who's Tommy some months after it opened because of her allergy. She also disliked the idea of performing in one musical for more than a year.
In late 1993, she was cast in Pasadena Playhouse
's musical Sweet, Smart, Rodgers & Hart that featured music and lyrics previously written by Richard Rodgers
and Lorenz Hart
. It originally played from the middle of November to December 17, 1993, but was then extended for another run between January 6 and January 23, 1994. In July 1994, Gaven played the role of the partly African-American showboat
actress Julie Dozier
in Music Circus
' adaptation of Show Boat
in California. In the spring of the following year, she reprised her part as the Countess in a production of A Little Night Music, also by Music Circus. Gaven returned to Chess in the summer of 1995 in small-scale production at Hudson Theatre
, this time as the lead character Florence Vassy. The story involves a romantic triangle between the two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and the woman Florence who manages one and falls in love with the other. Gaven received an Ovation Award
(Best Lead Actress in a Musical) and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
(Best Lead Performance) for her work in the musical.
. It was staged to raise proceeds for the Musical Theatre Group, which was described by John Woolard of the Press-Telegram as "a new organization formed to help rejuvenate musical theater in Southern California." The show was made up of singing and dancing numbers that had previously appeared in different Broadway musicals. From June to September 1997, Gaven played the role of Mother in the Los Angeles production (pre-Broadway) of the musical Ragtime
at Shubert Theatre
. She received her second Ovation Award
(Best Lead Actress in a Musical) for this performance. The musical tells the story of three ethnic groups in the United States: White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
s, African-Americans in Harlem
, and European immigrants. Gaven played the mother and matriarch of the Protestant family. Ragtime director Frank Galati
praised her in the Los Angeles Times for her "grace and beauty and magnificent voice" and her "extraordinarily keen intelligence—she's a very deep reader of text," and commented that "she seizes the stage with energy." Many critics praised Gaven as well, though Laurie Winer of the Los Angeles Times wrote that she played Mother "valiantly but with a shade too much effort." David Littlejohn of The Wall Street Journal
cited her as "the best single performance in this production."
In May of the following year, she appeared in California Musical Theatre
's production of Triumph of Love
, a musical that had previously been staged on Broadway and is set in Sparta
. It ran for six days at the Community Center Theater in Sacramento, California
and featured Gaven in the role of the philosopher Hesione. In 2001, Gaven reappeared as Julie Dozier in another adaptation of Show Boat by Music Circus. Davis Enterprise critic Bev Sykes wrote positively about her voice but criticized her performance for not being credible, writing: "Marcia Mitzman Gaven gives an uneven performance as Julie, a singer of mixed race who passes for white until she's betrayed by a spurned suitor. She is re-discovered in Act 2, having fallen into decline. Though obviously under the influence of the liquor in the bottle she carries around before and after her delivery of the song 'He's Just My Bill,' the song itself is performed straight, with no hint of the ravages that alcohol have taken on her body and voice." Later that same year she played the role of Abigail Adams
in a production of 1776
by UCLA's Freud Playhouse.
Gaven performed in a cabaret, called The Girly Show, at a fundraising gala for the Blank Theatre Company
on August 15, 2005. It consisted of an all-female cast singing songs by Michael John LaChiusa
, with LaChiusa playing the piano. On December 15, 2008, celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of The Who's Tommy, Gaven and the rest of the original Broadway cast reunited for a concert at August Wilson Theatre
in New York City. This performance was a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
, the Broadway Dreams Foundation, and the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation.
(1993), Red Planet
(1994), and Small Soldiers
(1998). Working with advertisements earned Gaven more money than playing theatre. "I can make in an hour what I make in a week doing theater," she said in 1997. Gaven has also made guest star appearances in live-action television series such as The George Carlin Show
(1994), Ellen
(1995), Get Smart
(1995), The Drew Carey Show
(1996), Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
(1997), Frasier
(1998), and Beverly Hills, 90210
(1998). In addition, she had a minor role in the 2002 film Moonlight Mile.
When Maggie Roswell
left the animated series The Simpsons
in spring 1999 after a pay dispute with Fox Broadcasting Company
, Gaven was hired to fill in for Roswell's characters. These characters included Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Miss Hoover, and others. However, Maude Flanders was killed off in the 2000 episode "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily
" to open up new storylines for the show. The dispute was the result of Roswell asking for a raise, not only because she was tired of traveling, but because of the increasing cost of flight tickets (she frequently flew between her Denver, Colorado
home and Los Angeles for the recording sessions). Roswell was paid $1,500 to $2,000 per episode during the three seasons before she left, and she asked Fox for a raise to $6,000 per episode. However, Fox only offered her a $150 raise, which did not cover the travel costs so she decided to quit. Roswell returned to The Simpsons in 2002 after reaching a deal with Fox to record her lines from her home, and Gaven has not worked for the show since that year.
High School of Performing Arts
The High School of Performing Arts, more formally known as The School of Performing Arts: A Division of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, informally known as "PA", was a public alternative high school in New York, New York, USA that existed from 1948 through...
and the State University of New York at Purchase
State University of New York at Purchase
Purchase College, State University of New York, is a public four-year college located in Purchase, New York, United States. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York system...
, she has appeared in many musicals during her career singing in both mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
and soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
roles. Her Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut came in 1979 when she played Betty Rizzo in Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, serving as the replacement for the original actress of the role. In the 1980s she appeared in the musicals The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
, Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
, Zorba, Nine
Nine (musical)
Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The story is based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½...
, Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
, Chess
Chess (musical)
Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
, and Welcome to the Club, and in the operas Brigadoon
Brigadoon
Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards....
, South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
, and Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1936 British film produced and directed by George King.-Plot:The film features Tod Slaughter in one of his most famous roles as barber Sweeney Todd. Sweeney Todd was wrongly sentenced to life in prison. After his release 15 years later, he begins...
.
In 1992, Gaven played the character Mrs. Walker in a new production called The Who's Tommy
The Who's Tommy
The Who's Tommy is a rock musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff based on The Who's 1969 double album rock opera Tommy, also by Pete Townshend, with additional material by John Entwistle, Keith Moon and Sonny Boy Williamson.-Productions:...
at La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
. The musical was a success, resulting in its move to Broadway in 1993. Gaven was praised by critics for her performance and received a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination in the "Best Featured Actress in a Musical" category. She eventually had to leave The Who's Tommy before its Broadway run ended because of an allergic reaction to a smoke effect used in the show. In 1995, she won an Ovation Award and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards is an annual awards program presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle . Established in 1969, the awards recognize excellence in theatre in the Greater Los Angeles Area....
for her portrayal of Florence Vassy in Chess at Hudson Theatre
Hudson Theatre
The Hudson Theatre is a former Broadway theater located at 141 West 44th Street, in midtown Manhattan, New York. Today the Hudson functions as a conference center and television studio. It is owned by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.-History:...
. She was also awarded an Ovation Award for the role of Mother in the staging of the musical Ragtime
Ragtime (musical)
Ragtime is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty.Based on the 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime tells the story of three groups in America, represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician; Mother, the matriarch of a WASP family in...
at Shubert Theatre
Century City, Los Angeles, California
Century City is a 176-acre commercial and residential district on the Westside of the city of Los Angeles. It is bounded by Westwood on the west, Rancho Park on the southwest, Cheviot Hills and Beverlywood on the southeast, and the city of Beverly Hills on the northeast...
in 1997. Gaven's latest role in a musical was in a 2001 production of 1776
1776 (musical)
1776 is a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The story is based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence...
by UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Since then she has appeared in concerts and fundraisers.
Gaven has also made guest star appearances in numerous television shows and films, playing both live-action and animated roles. She voiced several characters in the animated series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
from 1999 until 2002, including Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Miss Hoover, and others. She was hired after the original actress for these characters departed from the show. Gaven has also lent her voice to television and radio advertisements. She is currently married to Seth Gaven, who works with film marketing.
Early life
Gaven was born as Marcia Mitzman on February 28, 1959 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She was raised with her two siblings in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
Hastings-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in the southwest part of the town of Greenburgh. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 7,849. It lies on U.S. Route 9, "Broadway" in Hastings...
by their mother Patricia Mitzman, who had previously had a career in art. Newt Mitzman, their father, directed television specials and commercials for a living. Gaven went to Hackley Elementary School in Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
when she was young. At that time she was certain that she wanted to work in show business. As the result of a lie, she was able to study at the High School of Performing Arts
High School of Performing Arts
The High School of Performing Arts, more formally known as The School of Performing Arts: A Division of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, informally known as "PA", was a public alternative high school in New York, New York, USA that existed from 1948 through...
even though the school was only open to inhabitants of New York City. She then became a drama major at the State University of New York at Purchase
State University of New York at Purchase
Purchase College, State University of New York, is a public four-year college located in Purchase, New York, United States. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York system...
, though she did not get a degree. She said in a 1987 interview with The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
that "they kicked me out because I missed a major rehearsal", and she never applied for readmission since she had already made her first appearance on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
by then. While at Purchase, Gaven performed in student productions such as The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
and Trumpets and Drums
Trumpets and Drums
Trumpets and Drums is an adaptation of an 18th-century English Restoration comedy by Farquhar, The Recruiting Officer. It was written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht in collaboration with Benno Besson and Elisabeth Hauptmann....
.
Career in theatre
Gaven has had a prominent career in musical theatre and has appeared in many rock musicals. She told TheaterWeek
TheaterWeek
TheaterWeek was a favorite magazine among theater artists and theater lovers. It covered Broadway, off-Broadway, regional, and educational theater with articles theat included profiles of actors, directors, designers and behind the scenes looks at particular shows...
in 1993 that she thinks those kinds of musicals are harder to sing in compared to standard musicals, and that "the nature of rock and roll is that it's on the edge. It's written to be done dangerously. You can't be careful and do it at the same time. If you don't do it dangerously, you run the risk of losing the impact." During her career, Gaven has sung in both mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
and soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
roles, and has been cited for her belting
Belt (music)
Belting refers to a specific technique of singing by which a singer produces a loud sound in the upper middle of the pitch range. It is often described as a vocal register although some dispute this since technically the larynx is not oscillating in a unique way...
. According to Alvin Klein
Alvin Klein
Alvin Klein was a theater critic for The New York Times for more than 15 years, publishing nearly 3,500 reviews and other articles.- References :...
, theatre critic for The New York Times, she "is categorically a mezzo soprano." Gaven has also been noted for her strong voice, and was once told by a sound technician at An Evening Dinner Theater in Elmsford, New York
Elmsford, New York
Elmsford is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. Roughly one mile square, the village is fully contained within the borders of the town of Greenburgh...
that "We always turn off the mikes when you sing" because she did not need amplification.
1979–1989
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
that ran for six nights at Warner Theatre
Warner Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
The Warner Theatre is a theater located at 513 13th Street, N.W. in Downtown Washington, D.C.. The basement level is at 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue.-History:...
. It tells the story of a couple, Brad and Janet, who find themselves lost one night and end up in the laboratory of an alien doctor. The cast, including Gaven, was praised by critics. In 1984, she played a Londoner in the revival of Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
at Broadway and was the understudy
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
for the major role of Nancy. That same year, in the Broadway revival of Zorba, Gaven played the role of The Widow who is eventually stoned to death by the townspeople after being held responsible for the suicide of a young boy who fell in love with her. She then portrayed the character Luisa, the wife of an Italian film director, in a production of Nine
Nine (musical)
Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The story is based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½...
at An Evening Dinner Theater in 1985.
Gaven starred in the New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
's Broadway revival of Brigadoon
Brigadoon
Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards....
, in which she played Meg Brockie, at New York State Theater
New York State Theater
The David H. Koch Theater is a theater for ballet and opera, part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts located at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street in New York City, United States. Originally named the New York State Theater, the house has been home to both the New York...
in 1986. The story is about a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years, and Meg is one of the villagers. According to Sy Syna of the magazine The World & I, Gaven was "a huge crowd pleaser" in the role. She was also cast in the New York City Opera's spring 1987 revival of South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
as the female lead character Nellie Forbush, a U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
nurse who works on a South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
island during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This nine-week run of South Pacific had an alternating cast and Nellie was also portrayed by Susan Bigelow. Later that year in July during the New York City Opera's regular season, she appeared in the opera company's Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1936 British film produced and directed by George King.-Plot:The film features Tod Slaughter in one of his most famous roles as barber Sweeney Todd. Sweeney Todd was wrongly sentenced to life in prison. After his release 15 years later, he begins...
as Mrs. Lovett
Mrs. Lovett
Mrs. Lovett is a fictional character appearing in many adaptations of the story Sweeney Todd. She is most commonly referred to as Nellie, although Margery, Maggie, Sarah, Shirley, Wilhemina and Claudetta are other names she has been given. First appearing in the penny dreadful serial The String of...
, who makes and sells meat pies made from the victims of serial killer Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
.
In Pioneer Theatre Company
Pioneer Theatre Company
The Pioneer Theatre Company is one of four fully professional theatre companies in Utah, formed in 1962 and performing at the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. The non-profit company produces seven plays each season, running from September to May,...
's fall 1988 production of Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
, Gaven played the lead role of nightclub singer Reno Sweeney. It is set on an ocean liner on which Reno helps the character Billy Crocker win the heart of the engaged Hope Harcourt who he has fallen in love with. While reviewing the musical for the Deseret News, Joseph Walker commented that Gaven "is sensational as Reno Sweeney, the saucy, sassy hoofer-with-a-heart-of-gold. She has an arresting presence and a golden voice; the whole show always seems better when she's on stage." At the end of 1988, Gaven returned to the musical Oliver! in a Theatre Under The Stars
Theatre Under The Stars (Houston)
Theatre Under the Stars is a year-round, professional, non-profit musical theatre production company. It is located in Houston, Texas, performing mostly at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Theatre Under The Stars’ season generally includes both self-produced shows as well as national...
production in Houston, starring as Nancy. A critic for the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
commended her performance, writing that she "acts the compassionate Nancy with warmth and spirit, and sings in a strong voice full of character."
Also in 1988, Gaven played the part of the Russian chess player's wife Svetlana in the short-lived Broadway production of the musical Chess
Chess (musical)
Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
, for which she was praised by critics. The following year she appeared as Carol Bates in the Broadway musical Welcome to the Club. It revolves around four men who have been put in jail for not paying alimony
Alimony
Alimony is a U.S. term denoting a legal obligation to provide financial support to one's spouse from the other spouse after marital separation or from the ex-spouse upon divorce...
. The musical shows why they ended up divorcing their wives, one of which is played by Gaven. Both Chess and Welcome to the Club were unsuccessful. John Simon criticized the latter musical in a New York Magazine review but praised Gaven's performance, writing: "The cast ranges from the charmless to the hopeless [...] in this mess. Only Marcia Mitzman manages to stand out from the crowd, and when she gets the right part in the right show, she'll do just fine." Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
drama critic Michael Kuchwara
Michael Kuchwara
Michael Charlies Kuchwara was an American theater critic, columnist and journalist. Kuchwara worked as both a critic and journalist for the Associated Press for more than from 1984 until 2010, writing pieces that were read worldwide...
also wrote negatively about Welcome to the Club while giving praise to Gaven for projecting "a sympathy [to her character] that isn't apparent in the book."
1990–1995
In December 1990, Gaven once again appeared as Nancy in a revival of Oliver!—this time in a production at 5th Avenue Theatre5th Avenue Theatre
The 5th Avenue Theatre is a landmark theater building located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It has hosted a variety of theatre productions and motion pictures since it opened in 1926. The building and land is owned by the University of Washington and was once part of the original campus...
in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. A theatre critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
noted that she "has the voice to anchor anything you'd care to name, even the 5th Avenue Theatre. 5th Avenue performers often sound as if they were speaking and singing through a football stadium public address system. But Mitzman overpowers malevolent acoustics." After Oliver!, she appeared as Countess Charlotte Malcolm in Ahmanson Theatre
Ahmanson Theatre
The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that comprise the Los Angeles Music Center.Through the generosity of philanthropist Robert H. Ahmanson, construction began on March 9, 1962. The theatre opened on April 12, 1967 with a production of More Stately Mansions starring Ingrid Bergman,...
's production of A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
that was performed from April 18 to June 30, 1991 at James A. Doolittle Theatre in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Gaven worked at 5th Avenue Theatre again in December 1991 in the musical Here's Love
Here's Love
Here's Love is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson.Based on the classic film Miracle on 34th Street, it tells the tale of a skeptical little girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus. When the real Kris Kringle inadvertently is hired to represent jolly St...
. She portrayed the divorced Doris Walker, a single-working mother of a girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
. During spring 1992, she played the love interest of a male songwriter and his best friend in the musical The Tin Pan Man (set in 1905) at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
La Mirada, California
La Mirada is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of the Gateway Cities. The population was 48,527 at the 2010 census, up from 46,783 at the 2000 census....
.
Starting at the beginning of July 1992, Gaven appeared in a new musical called The Who's Tommy
The Who's Tommy
The Who's Tommy is a rock musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff based on The Who's 1969 double album rock opera Tommy, also by Pete Townshend, with additional material by John Entwistle, Keith Moon and Sonny Boy Williamson.-Productions:...
at La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
in San Diego. It was based on the rock opera album Tommy by The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. Gaven starred as Mrs. Walker, the mother of the boy Tommy who is traumatized when he sees his father murder Mrs. Walker's new boyfriend. Tommy ultimately becomes non-responsive, leading people to believe that he is deaf, mute, and blind, and his parents try to find a cure for his condition. Gaven later told TheaterWeek that she initially did not want to do the musical, since she "had no idea how this could be staged as a theatrical piece. I hoped my agents wouldn't call me and ask me to audition." However, they did, and she was cast as Mrs. Walker after an audition in which she sang the song "Heaven Help My Heart" that she performed in Chess, also a rock musical. The Who's Tommy was La Jolla Playhouse's biggest success yet and as a result its run was lengthened by several weeks. Later that year, Gaven once again played Doris in Here's Love—this time in a Theatre Under The Stars production.
In late 1992 it was announced that because of the success of The Who's Tommy, it would be produced for Broadway and open in April 1993. The production cost eight million dollars and it broke the box office record for the biggest non-opening day with US$494,897 earned on April 23, 1993 at St. James Theatre
St. James Theatre
The St. James Theatre is located at 246 W. 44th St. Broadway, New York City, New York. It was built by Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and a founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate, on the site of the original Sardi's restaurant. It opened in 1927 as The Erlanger...
(where the musical opened on April 22), beating Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably...
1992 record. Des McAnuff
Des McAnuff
Desmond McAnuff is the Canadian-American artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and director of musical theatre of such Broadway productions as Big River, The Who's Tommy and Jersey Boys.-Biography:...
, who directed the musical at both La Jolla Playhouse and on Broadway, decided to bring many actors from the original cast with him despite weeks of auditions with thousands of actors trying out for the roles in front of him. The Broadway production featured some changes to the musical, such as a new song devoted to Tommy's parents that Gaven thought "helps show their side of the story." However, as she told The San Diego Union-Tribune, the biggest difference was the increased amount of money she earned. Gaven was praised by critics for her portrayal of Mrs. Walker in the Broadway production, with one critic from The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
writing that her "alluring alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
voice makes you wish Tommy's mother had even more to sing."
It was announced on May 10, 1993 that The Who's Tommy had received eleven Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominations, tying with Kiss of the Spider Woman
Kiss of the Spider Woman (musical)
Kiss of the Spider Woman is a musical with music by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with the book by Terrence McNally. It is based on the Manuel Puig novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña...
for the most nominations that year. Gaven received a nomination in the "Best Featured Actress in a Musical" category. However, as the result of an allergic reaction, she could not perform in the musical some nights. When Daryl Miller interviewed Gaven in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
in 1997, he noted that "this was one of the biggest disappointments of her life, and clouds cross her face for the first time in the conversation. She glances across the room at the Tony citation—recognizing her nomination for best featured actress in a musical—as she describes how her throat became infected due to a reaction to the oil in a haze-making compound that designers pump onstage to enhance lighting effects. She missed a lot of performances, and an untold number of Tony voters missed her performance. She can't help but wonder how that affected the outcome." At one point, Gaven's understudy Alice Ripley took her place for eight consecutive weeks while Gaven recovered. Gaven eventually had to leave The Who's Tommy some months after it opened because of her allergy. She also disliked the idea of performing in one musical for more than a year.
Pasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engagements each year.-History:...
's musical Sweet, Smart, Rodgers & Hart that featured music and lyrics previously written by Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Hart
Lorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
. It originally played from the middle of November to December 17, 1993, but was then extended for another run between January 6 and January 23, 1994. In July 1994, Gaven played the role of the partly African-American showboat
Showboat
A showboat, or show boat, was a form of theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers . A showboat was basically a barge that resembled a long, flat-roofed house, and in order to move down the river, it was pushed by a small tugboat...
actress Julie Dozier
Julie Dozier
Julie Dozier is a character in Edna Ferber's 1926 novel Show Boat. In Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's classic musical version of it, which opened on Broadway on December 27, 1927, her stage name is Julie La Verne. She is exposed as Julie Dozier in Act I...
in Music Circus
California Musical Theatre
California Musical Theatre is the largest nonprofit arts organization in the state of California and the city of Sacramento's oldest professional performing arts organization...
' adaptation of Show Boat
Show Boat
Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
in California. In the spring of the following year, she reprised her part as the Countess in a production of A Little Night Music, also by Music Circus. Gaven returned to Chess in the summer of 1995 in small-scale production at Hudson Theatre
Hudson Theatre
The Hudson Theatre is a former Broadway theater located at 141 West 44th Street, in midtown Manhattan, New York. Today the Hudson functions as a conference center and television studio. It is owned by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.-History:...
, this time as the lead character Florence Vassy. The story involves a romantic triangle between the two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and the woman Florence who manages one and falls in love with the other. Gaven received an Ovation Award
Ovation Awards
The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the Los Angeles Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. They have been called the "...highest-profile contest for local theatre..." by the Los...
(Best Lead Actress in a Musical) and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards is an annual awards program presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle . Established in 1969, the awards recognize excellence in theatre in the Greater Los Angeles Area....
(Best Lead Performance) for her work in the musical.
1996–present
On May 21, 1996, Gaven and seventeen other well-known musical theatre artists appeared in the show Say It With Music at Carpenter Performing Arts CenterCarpenter Performing Arts Center
The Carpenter Performing Arts Center is a venue for a variety of events including films, forums, and musical and theater performances. It is located on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. It was built in 1994 and has seating for 1,074. The stage area was modeled after the New...
. It was staged to raise proceeds for the Musical Theatre Group, which was described by John Woolard of the Press-Telegram as "a new organization formed to help rejuvenate musical theater in Southern California." The show was made up of singing and dancing numbers that had previously appeared in different Broadway musicals. From June to September 1997, Gaven played the role of Mother in the Los Angeles production (pre-Broadway) of the musical Ragtime
Ragtime (musical)
Ragtime is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty.Based on the 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime tells the story of three groups in America, represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician; Mother, the matriarch of a WASP family in...
at Shubert Theatre
Century City, Los Angeles, California
Century City is a 176-acre commercial and residential district on the Westside of the city of Los Angeles. It is bounded by Westwood on the west, Rancho Park on the southwest, Cheviot Hills and Beverlywood on the southeast, and the city of Beverly Hills on the northeast...
. She received her second Ovation Award
Ovation Awards
The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the Los Angeles Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. They have been called the "...highest-profile contest for local theatre..." by the Los...
(Best Lead Actress in a Musical) for this performance. The musical tells the story of three ethnic groups in the United States: White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is an informal term, often derogatory or disparaging, for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of British Protestant ancestry. The group supposedly wields disproportionate financial and social power. When it appears in writing, it is usually used to...
s, African-Americans in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, and European immigrants. Gaven played the mother and matriarch of the Protestant family. Ragtime director Frank Galati
Frank Galati
Frank Galati is an American director, writer and actor. He is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, an associate director at Goodman Theatre, and a professor of performance at Northwestern University. In 2004, Galati was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame...
praised her in the Los Angeles Times for her "grace and beauty and magnificent voice" and her "extraordinarily keen intelligence—she's a very deep reader of text," and commented that "she seizes the stage with energy." Many critics praised Gaven as well, though Laurie Winer of the Los Angeles Times wrote that she played Mother "valiantly but with a shade too much effort." David Littlejohn of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
cited her as "the best single performance in this production."
In May of the following year, she appeared in California Musical Theatre
California Musical Theatre
California Musical Theatre is the largest nonprofit arts organization in the state of California and the city of Sacramento's oldest professional performing arts organization...
's production of Triumph of Love
Triumph of Love
Triumph of Love is a musical with a book by James Magruder, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jeffrey Stock.Resembling a chamber musical more than a traditional book musical, it is based on the 1732 Pierre de Marivaux commedia dell'arte play Le Triomphe de l'Amour and centers on Spartan...
, a musical that had previously been staged on Broadway and is set in Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
. It ran for six days at the Community Center Theater in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
and featured Gaven in the role of the philosopher Hesione. In 2001, Gaven reappeared as Julie Dozier in another adaptation of Show Boat by Music Circus. Davis Enterprise critic Bev Sykes wrote positively about her voice but criticized her performance for not being credible, writing: "Marcia Mitzman Gaven gives an uneven performance as Julie, a singer of mixed race who passes for white until she's betrayed by a spurned suitor. She is re-discovered in Act 2, having fallen into decline. Though obviously under the influence of the liquor in the bottle she carries around before and after her delivery of the song 'He's Just My Bill,' the song itself is performed straight, with no hint of the ravages that alcohol have taken on her body and voice." Later that same year she played the role of Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, who was the second President of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth...
in a production of 1776
1776 (musical)
1776 is a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The story is based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence...
by UCLA's Freud Playhouse.
Gaven performed in a cabaret, called The Girly Show, at a fundraising gala for the Blank Theatre Company
Blank Theatre Company
The Blank Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company located in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1990 by Daniel Henning, who is today the company's Artistic Director/Producer. The Blank’s mission is to produce either premieres or "reinventions" of previously-produced material...
on August 15, 2005. It consisted of an all-female cast singing songs by Michael John LaChiusa
Michael John LaChiusa
Michael John LaChiusa is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for complex, musically challenging shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See...
, with LaChiusa playing the piano. On December 15, 2008, celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of The Who's Tommy, Gaven and the rest of the original Broadway cast reunited for a concert at August Wilson Theatre
August Wilson Theatre
The August Wilson Theatre, located at 245 West 52nd Street in New York City, is a Broadway theatre.Designed by architects C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim and constructed by the Theatre Guild, it opened as the Guild Theatre in 1925 with a revival of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and...
in New York City. This performance was a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the theatre community’s response to the AIDS crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the theatre community, on Broadway, Off-Broadway and across the country, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States...
, the Broadway Dreams Foundation, and the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation.
Career in television and film
Gaven has done much voice acting in her career, lending her voice to television and radio advertisements and playing animated characters in The Pink PantherThe Pink Panther (1993 TV series)
The Pink Panther is a 1993 animated television series. It was credited as a co-production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, Mirisch-Geoffrey DePatie-Freleng and United Artists .-Plot:This version stars the legendary hip feline in new adventures...
(1993), Red Planet
Red Planet (miniseries)
Red Planet was a 1994 animated miniseries created by Gunther-Wahl Productions. It was adapted from the Robert A. Heinlein novel of the same name, with the teleplay written by Julia Lewald.-Plot summary:...
(1994), and Small Soldiers
Small Soldiers
Small Soldiers is a 1998 American action/science fiction film directed by Joe Dante starring Gregory Smith and Kirsten Dunst. The film revolves around two teenagers , who get caught in the middle of a war between two factions of sentient action figures, the Gorgonites and the Commando...
(1998). Working with advertisements earned Gaven more money than playing theatre. "I can make in an hour what I make in a week doing theater," she said in 1997. Gaven has also made guest star appearances in live-action television series such as The George Carlin Show
The George Carlin Show
The George Carlin Show is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from January 1994 to July 1995. It was created jointly by veteran TV producer Sam Simon and the show's namesake, comedian George Carlin.-Synopsis:...
(1994), Ellen
Ellen (TV series)
Ellen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.The theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas...
(1995), Get Smart
Get Smart (1995 TV series)
Get Smart is a short-lived American comedy television series that aired in 1995 on FOX. The series was a sequel to the original Get Smart television series that ran from 1965 to 1970. The series premiered on January 8, 1995 and ended its original run on February 19, 1995.-Overview:Maxwell Smart is...
(1995), The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
(1996), Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with...
(1997), Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
(1998), and Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
(1998). In addition, she had a minor role in the 2002 film Moonlight Mile.
When Maggie Roswell
Maggie Roswell
Maggie Roswell is an American film and television actress and voice artist from Los Angeles, California. She is well known for her voice work on the Fox network's animated television series The Simpsons, in which she has played recurring characters such as Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Miss...
left the animated series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
in spring 1999 after a pay dispute with Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, Gaven was hired to fill in for Roswell's characters. These characters included Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Miss Hoover, and others. However, Maude Flanders was killed off in the 2000 episode "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily
Alone Again, Natura-Diddily
"Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" is the fourteenth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons, and marks the final regular appearance of the character Maude Flanders. In the episode, she is killed in an accident while watching a speedway race, devastating Ned Flanders and prompting Homer to find a...
" to open up new storylines for the show. The dispute was the result of Roswell asking for a raise, not only because she was tired of traveling, but because of the increasing cost of flight tickets (she frequently flew between her Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
home and Los Angeles for the recording sessions). Roswell was paid $1,500 to $2,000 per episode during the three seasons before she left, and she asked Fox for a raise to $6,000 per episode. However, Fox only offered her a $150 raise, which did not cover the travel costs so she decided to quit. Roswell returned to The Simpsons in 2002 after reaching a deal with Fox to record her lines from her home, and Gaven has not worked for the show since that year.
Personal life
Gaven resided in Los Angeles from 1991 to 1993, when she had to move to New York City to act in The Who's Tommy. However, her stay in the city was short because of the allergic reaction and she moved back to Los Angeles. While performing in musicals, Gaven had to be protective of her vocal chords and this affected her personal life. She told Miller in 1997 that "you have to give up so much of your life", and gave the example that when "somebody coughs behind me [at the cinema] I immediately say to my husband, 'We may have to move.'" She also had to avoid shouting. Gaven is currently married to Seth Gaven, who works with film marketing.Theatre
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Grease Grease (musical) Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,... |
Betty Rizzo (replacement) | |
| 1980 | The Rocky Horror Show The Rocky Horror Show The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"... |
Janet | |
| 1984 | Oliver! Oliver! Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.... |
Londoner, Nancy (understudy) | |
| 1984 | Zorba | The Widow | |
| 1985 | Nine Nine (musical) Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The story is based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½... |
Luisa | |
| 1986 | Brigadoon Brigadoon Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards.... |
Meg Brockie | |
| 1987 | South Pacific South Pacific (musical) South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its... |
Nellie Forbush | |
| 1987 | Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1936 British film produced and directed by George King.-Plot:The film features Tod Slaughter in one of his most famous roles as barber Sweeney Todd. Sweeney Todd was wrongly sentenced to life in prison. After his release 15 years later, he begins... |
Mrs. Lovett Mrs. Lovett Mrs. Lovett is a fictional character appearing in many adaptations of the story Sweeney Todd. She is most commonly referred to as Nellie, although Margery, Maggie, Sarah, Shirley, Wilhemina and Claudetta are other names she has been given. First appearing in the penny dreadful serial The String of... |
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| 1988 | Anything Goes Anything Goes Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London... |
Reno Sweeney | |
| 1988 | Oliver! Oliver! Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.... |
Nancy | |
| 1988 | Chess Chess (musical) Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;... |
Svetlana | |
| 1989 | Welcome to the Club | Carol Bates | |
| 1990 | Oliver! Oliver! Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.... |
Nancy | |
| 1991 | A Little Night Music A Little Night Music A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade... |
Countess Charlotte Malcolm | |
| 1991 | Here's Love Here's Love Here's Love is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson.Based on the classic film Miracle on 34th Street, it tells the tale of a skeptical little girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus. When the real Kris Kringle inadvertently is hired to represent jolly St... |
Doris Walker | |
| 1992 | The Tin Pan Man | Margie | |
| 1992 | The Who's Tommy The Who's Tommy The Who's Tommy is a rock musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff based on The Who's 1969 double album rock opera Tommy, also by Pete Townshend, with additional material by John Entwistle, Keith Moon and Sonny Boy Williamson.-Productions:... |
Mrs. Walker | |
| 1992 | Here's Love Here's Love Here's Love is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson.Based on the classic film Miracle on 34th Street, it tells the tale of a skeptical little girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus. When the real Kris Kringle inadvertently is hired to represent jolly St... |
Doris Walker | |
| 1993 | The Who's Tommy The Who's Tommy The Who's Tommy is a rock musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff based on The Who's 1969 double album rock opera Tommy, also by Pete Townshend, with additional material by John Entwistle, Keith Moon and Sonny Boy Williamson.-Productions:... |
Mrs. Walker | |
| 1993 | Sweet, Smart, Rodgers & Hart | Lead singer | |
| 1994 | Show Boat Show Boat Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working... |
Julie Dozier Julie Dozier Julie Dozier is a character in Edna Ferber's 1926 novel Show Boat. In Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's classic musical version of it, which opened on Broadway on December 27, 1927, her stage name is Julie La Verne. She is exposed as Julie Dozier in Act I... |
|
| 1995 | A Little Night Music A Little Night Music A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade... |
Countess Charlotte Malcolm | |
| 1995 | Chess Chess (musical) Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;... |
Florence Vassy | |
| 1997 | Ragtime Ragtime (musical) Ragtime is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty.Based on the 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime tells the story of three groups in America, represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician; Mother, the matriarch of a WASP family in... |
Mother | |
| 2000 | Triumph of Love Triumph of Love Triumph of Love is a musical with a book by James Magruder, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jeffrey Stock.Resembling a chamber musical more than a traditional book musical, it is based on the 1732 Pierre de Marivaux commedia dell'arte play Le Triomphe de l'Amour and centers on Spartan... |
Hesione | |
| 2001 | Show Boat Show Boat Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working... |
Julie Dozier Julie Dozier Julie Dozier is a character in Edna Ferber's 1926 novel Show Boat. In Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's classic musical version of it, which opened on Broadway on December 27, 1927, her stage name is Julie La Verne. She is exposed as Julie Dozier in Act I... |
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| 2001 | 1776 1776 (musical) 1776 is a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The story is based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence... |
Abigail Adams Abigail Adams Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, who was the second President of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth... |
Television
| Year(s) | Title | Role(s) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Pink Panther The Pink Panther (1993 TV series) The Pink Panther is a 1993 animated television series. It was credited as a co-production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, Mirisch-Geoffrey DePatie-Freleng and United Artists .-Plot:This version stars the legendary hip feline in new adventures... |
Additional voices | Several episodes | |
| 1994 | Red Planet Red Planet (miniseries) Red Planet was a 1994 animated miniseries created by Gunther-Wahl Productions. It was adapted from the Robert A. Heinlein novel of the same name, with the teleplay written by Julia Lewald.-Plot summary:... |
Voice of Dr. Jane Marlowe | Miniseries | |
| 1994 | The George Carlin Show The George Carlin Show The George Carlin Show is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from January 1994 to July 1995. It was created jointly by veteran TV producer Sam Simon and the show's namesake, comedian George Carlin.-Synopsis:... |
Ellen | Episode: "George Really Does It This Time" | |
| 1995 | Ellen Ellen (TV series) Ellen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.The theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas... |
Debby | Episode: "The Apartment Hunt" | |
| 1995 | Get Smart Get Smart (1995 TV series) Get Smart is a short-lived American comedy television series that aired in 1995 on FOX. The series was a sequel to the original Get Smart television series that ran from 1965 to 1970. The series premiered on January 8, 1995 and ended its original run on February 19, 1995.-Overview:Maxwell Smart is... |
KAOS chairwoman | Several episodes | |
| 1996 | The Drew Carey Show The Drew Carey Show The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor.... |
Kim | Episode: "Drew's New Assistant" | |
| 1997 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Hangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with... |
Clerk | Episode: "The Ring" | |
| 1998 | Frasier Frasier Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars... |
Allison | Episode: "Party, Party Frasier (Season 5) The fifth season of Frasier originally aired between September 1997 and May 1998, beginning on September 23, 1997.-List of episodes:... " |
|
| 1998 | Beverly Hills, 90210 Beverly Hills, 90210 Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise... |
Judge | Episode: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" | |
| 1999–2002 | The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie... |
Voice of Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Miss Hoover, and others |
Several episodes |
Film
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Small Soldiers Small Soldiers Small Soldiers is a 1998 American action/science fiction film directed by Joe Dante starring Gregory Smith and Kirsten Dunst. The film revolves around two teenagers , who get caught in the middle of a war between two factions of sentient action figures, the Gorgonites and the Commando... |
Voice of Globotech Announcer | |
| 2002 | Moonlight Mile | Fashion Plate |