For the faithful followers of my blog, you know that I’m something of a Broadway nerd. And the Broadway community lost one of its power players last week. Marin Mazzie was a talented force to be reckoned with. She lost her battle with ovarian cancer without my ever having been able to see her live, but I’ve been listening to cast recordings with her on them for years. So in her honor, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite Marin Mazzie performances.
“Back to Before” from Ragtime– This was the song that made me a Marin Mazzie fan. It’s an amazing song. And Marin was the one who made it amazing. There’s so much emotion and power behind her belt. I’ve tried singing it in the car, and it never works, not like it did before.
“Journey On” from Ragtime – Again, this song really shows how good Marin was at conveying emotion through her voice. I never saw her sing “Journey On” (legally), but every time I listen to it, I hear her character’s uncertainty and longing shine through.
“Losing My Mind” from Follies (from Sondheim’s 80th birthday concert) – I’ve seen this performance a lot lately when referring to Mazzie, calling it the definitive performance of this song. While I am not as knowledgeable about Follies as I am other musicals, I would have to agree. I love the beauty and heartbreak in her performance.
