Marcia Mitzman Gaven (born February 28, 1959) is an 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 Maggie Roswell departed from the show, due to a pay dispute. She has not been heard on the show since Roswell's return in 2002. Gaven has also lent her voice to television and radio advertisements. She is currently married to Seth Gaven owner of AV Squad, a film marketing company.
Early life
Gaven was born as Marcia Mitzman on February 28, 1959, in New York City. 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.
Career in theatre
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.