BWW Q&A: Marcia Mitzman Gaven on THE BOY FROM OZ at OFC Creations Theatre Center

OFC Creations Theatre Center will present McIver Ewing, well known for playing Waldo in THE LITTLE RASCALS and as Derek in FULL HOUSE as Peter Allen in OFC’s 2024-2025 season opener, The Boy From Oz.

Starring alongside Ewing in The Boy From Oz as Judy Garland is Tony Award Nominee, Marcia Mitzman Gaven, a well-known Broadway actress who starred in the original Broadway casts of THE WHO’S TOMMY as Mrs. Walker and CHESS as Svetlana.

Ewing and Gaven will reunite on stage in The Boy From Oz, after originally performing together almost 30 years ago in the 1997 World Premiere production of RAGTIME in Los Angeles. Gaven starred as Mother and Ewing starred as her son, Edgar. In OFC’s The Boy From Oz, Ewing will once again perform as her son.

Ewing and Gaven will make their Rochester, NY debuts at the OFC Creations Theatre Center as part of OFC’s Broadway in Brighton Series for The Boy From Oz, running September 12-29, 2024, sharing the true life story of Peter Allen.

From humble beginnings growing up and singing in country pubs throughout the Australian outback, Peter Allen’s career took off without warning after being discovered and taken under the mentorship of Judy Garland. As her opening act, Peter relocated to New York City and was introduced to Judy’s daughter and future wife, Liza Minnelli.

Peter Allen rose to international stardom in the 1980s, best known for his hits including ‘I Honestly Love You,’ ‘Best That You Can Do,’ ‘Not The Boy Next Door,’ ‘Everything Old Is New Again,’ and the show stopping, ‘I Go to Rio.’ From winning an Oscar, to selling out performances in Radio City Music Hall, and receiving adulation when he returned to Australia, Peter struggled through divorce, heartbreak, failure, and navigating through the unknowns of the AIDS epidemic.

Under the direction of OFC’s owner and artistic director, Eric Vaughn Johnson, The Boy From Oz will be performed for the first time in New York state at the OFC Creations Theatre Center since the 2003 Tony Award winning Broadway production which starred Hugh Jackman as Peter Allen.

Ewing and Gaven will lead the professional cast at OFC Creations comprised the actors from New York City, Los Angeles and across the country assembled under Johnson’s leadership.

“The success of last year’s season was a resounding message that OFC’s Broadway in Brighton Series has filled a need in our community and beyond,” shared Johnson.

“Last season when we brought Garrett Clayton (Disney’s Teen Beach Movie, Hairspray LIVE) in as a headliner, our audiences raved about the uniqueness of OFC bringing national artists into our area to lead high caliber productions. We are fortunate to share Blake and Marcia’s incredible talent with Rochester, and there is much more to come!”

The Boy From Oz will kick off OFC’s 2024-2025 Broadway In Brighton Series with a focus on bringing beloved shows and stories of heroes of generations to the stage, many that are not typically performed in Rochester.

The series includes: The Boy from Oz, a regional premiere; West Side Story, a timeless musical; The Prince of Egypt, an upstate NY and Rochester premiere- of which OFC is one of the first performing arts centers in the country to be granted permission to present this show; the classic musical Anything Goes; and Gypsy a golden age musical. Closing out the 2024-2025 season will be the hugely popular Jersey Boys, produced locally for the first time.

OFC Creations has been a fixture of the Rochester, NY performing arts scene since 2005. After opening the 260-seat OFC Creations Theatre Center in 2020, OFC has continued to expand with the largest educational theater program for young actors in New York State, opening an immersive theatrical restaurant and cabaret performance venue in 2022. The 2024-2025 season marks the second year of the Broadway in Brighton Series, a professional regional theater season guaranteeing theatrical excellence for audiences.

Marcia received a TONY Award nomination for her performance as Mrs. Walker in the Broadway smash "TOMMY” directed by Des McAnuff and was praised by music critics for her "show stopping performance" on the Grammy winning original cast recording. During her Broadway career, she starred as Svetlana in "CHESS” directed by Trevor Nunn, (Broadway Cast album), The Widow in "ZORBA" with Anthony Quinn, Rizzo in "GREASE", and starred in Cy Coleman's, "WELCOME TO THE CLUB". Off -Broadway credits include Audrey in "LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS" by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.

At Lincoln Center she was mentored by opera diva Beverly Sills who recruited Marcia to star in several New York City Opera productions in their Broadway Show Series. Marcia won critical raves as Nellie in "SOUTH PACIFIC", Meg in "BRIGADOON" opposite Tony Roberts, and Mrs. Lovett in "SWEENY TODD" for Harold Prince.

​Marcia is known by Los Angeles audiences for her starring role as Mother in the American premiere of “RAGTIME”, for which she won the Ovation Award for Best Lead Actress, and starred opposite Roger Rees, as Abigail Adams in “1776” at Reprise! Also in Los Angeles, Marcia won the Ovation award and L.A. Drama Critics Circle award for Best Lead Actress as Florence in "CHESS". She was Countess Charlotte in “A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC” at the Doolittle Theatre and created the role of Mrs. Walker in La Jolla Playhouse’s hit "THE WHO'S TOMMY” before re-creating the role on Broadway.

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Film and television credits include: “MOONLIGHT MILE” with Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon, "THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES" with Tom Hanks, “FRAISER”, "ELLEN", “BABYLON 5”, "THE DREW CARREY SHOW”, "BEVERLY HILLS 90210", with recurring roles on "THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL" and in the remake of GET SMART as the evil head of "Chaos" opposite a huge Komodo dragon. Her extensive voice over work can be heard in animation (she voiced the roles of Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Luann Van Hooten and Miss Hoover in “THE SIMPSONS”) and in countless commercials and promos.

How does it feel to be playing Judy Garland in "The Boy From Oz"?

The challenge is to focus on her truth instead of on her celebrity, so I'm asking the same questions I would for any role. It's interesting in that it's based on a real person and a real relationship between Judy and Peter Allen, so the goal is to build a fully realized character rather than an impersonation.

Can you share a bit about your preparation for the role?

Obviously, there's a wealth of material to research. I've read biographies about Judy's life, watched hours of movies and interviews, and her television variety shows. She had a lot of vibrato in her tone later in her career, so I'm experimenting on how much to add in the songs...But ultimately, you build your prep and rehearse and then you have to let that go and trust your foundation.

You and Blake McIver Ewing performed together 30 years ago in "RAGTIME" - how does it feel to be reunited on stage?

I adore Blake! He was a little boy playing my son in Ragtime 27 years ago! I can't wait to perform together again!

What has drawn you back to the theatre after some time away?

I never made a conscious decision to stop doing Broadway, but when I had my children Michael and Katie, we were living in L.A. and my voice over career got so busy! Then after I replaced Maggie Roswell in The Simpsons, we built a studio in our home and never looked backed. Katie is at college now and people were asking me to come back to the theatre. I feel I have so much more to give now, so much life experience. Honestly, I think I'm singing better than ever. There are things that aren't great about getting older, but what we have to offer as artists is so much deeper!

How does it feel to be part of the first New York state performance of "The Boy From Oz" since the 2003 Broadway run?

Amazing! I never got to see the original Broadway run because I was in Los Angeles, but I remember Hugh Jackman on the TONY Awards! I'm so happy to be bringing this fabulous show back to NY audiences!

Why must audiences come and see the show?

I hope audiences will enjoy this infectious tribute to the lives of Peter Allen, Judy Garland, and Liza Minelli...with show stopping songs and dances and a unique love story.

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