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Rita McKenzie, known for staging the longest-running one-woman show in theatrical history, died Feb. 17 in Los Angeles days before her 77th birthday. She succumbed to what her family described as a long-term illness.

A powerhouse stage voice and theatrical personality, McKenzie’s 1988 off-Broadway one-woman show, Ethel Merman’s Broadway, became the longest-running one- woman show in theatrical history.

McKenzie had a wide theatrical resume. She played Lita Encore in the Los Angeles premiere of Ruthless! The Musical and reprised the role in the recent New York revival of the show.

She also performed a wide range of stage roles throughout the U..S , including Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes!, appeared in the 50th Anniversary tour of Annie Get Your Gun, played Rose in Gypsy, and starred in a three-year U.S. tour of Neil Simon’s The Female Odd Couple, co-starring with Barbara Eden.

Additionally, she was the opening act...

Rita McKenzie, the actress and singer best known for her boisterous performances in the one-woman show Ethel Merman’s Broadway, died Saturday in Los Angeles after a long illness, her husband, talent agent Scott Stander, announced. She was 76.

McKenzie first starred on stage as the powerful Merman — star of such iconic Broadway hits as Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy and Hello, Dolly! — in New York in 1988.

Belting out tunes like “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “I Got Rhythm” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” McKenzie toured throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia in what many consider the longest-running one-woman show in theatrical history.

She also starred in parts that Merman made famous: Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes!, the gunslinger in a 50th anniversary tour of Annie Get Your Gun and Rose in Gypsy.

Watch her perform here.

A native of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, McKenzie starred...

This week's event will feature The Phantom Of The Opera Laird Mackintosh, Ali Ewoldt, Jordan Donica Something Rotten Catherine Brunell, Will Chase, Josh Grisetti, Leslie Kritzer, Rob McClure, Andre Ward, Matt Allen, Max Clayton, Eric Giancola, David Hibbard, Jenny Hill, Leah Hofmann, Aaron Kaburick, Tari Kelly, Beth Johnson Nicely, Brian Olgilvie, Aleks Pevec, Eric Sciotto, Marisha Wallace Cagney Jeremy Benton, Robert Creighton, Danette Holden, Freddie Kimmel, Joel Newsome, Matt Perri, Bruce Sabath, Josh Walden, Ellen Zolezzi Ruthless Tori Murray, Kim Maresca, Rita McKenzie, Paul Pecorino...

Welcome to Bww's exclusive talk show, Backstage WITHRichard Ridge. Follow Richard as he visits the theater's best and brightest in their dressing rooms, on their stages and at their favorite hang outs to talk about their lives, careers and all of the things you don't know, but want to know.In this special edition, Richard welcomes the current company of off-Broadway's Ruthless, including creators Marvin Laird and Joel Paley, plus cast membersKim Maresca,Rita McKenzie,Andrea McCullough, Jennifer Diamond,Tori Murrayand Amy Bermowitz.Find out how they keep audiences laughing nightly below...

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars Well after Broadway orchestras begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including Christmas Carols with Chris McCarrell Ethel Merman's Broadway Starring Rita McKenzie Christine Pedi Snow Bizness Daniel Reichard's 'Under the Mistletoe' Whistle Down the Wind The Concert - NYC Premiere...

Friends and colleagues including Bruce Vilanch, Valarie Pettiford, Rachel York, Rita McKenzie, Carole Cook, Thom Troupe, Kathryn Jootsen, Lily Tomlin, Florence Henderson, Donna Mills, Jackie Joseph, Channing Chase, Tippi Hedren, JoAnne Worley, Kate Linder and the Los Angeles cast of Rent among others were more than thrilled to turn out for this special engagement of "The First 80 Years are the Hardest," that marked Carol Channing's return to the stage after her accident last year that forced her, for the very first time in her 70 year career, to cancel all scheduled performances.

It's a story, of a lovely lady ... Florence Henderson gave audiences in Los Angele's Catalina Club an up close and "Honest" night of entertainment with "All The Lives Of Me," under the musical direction of Broadway composer and Emmy Award winner Glen Roven. Friends and colleagues included Carol Burnett, Donna Mills, Robert Wagner, Rita McKenzie, Mitzi Gaynor, Norm Crosby, and Bruce Vilanch (who is credited as a co writer of the program) among others, were on hand as Florence Henderson opened with a hysterically funny number entitled "Lifted," before treating audiences to a look at all of her lives. She prefaced that she didnt mean lives like Shirley MacLaine has lives, but rather as a young girl growing up in Ky as the youngest of ten children.