Death is among the most challenging of realities that we as humans are ever challenged to process. When someone in our sphere passes away, we are forced to grapple with our own mortality and the ephemeral nature of life. Rituals are a manner of organizing these complexities, such as wearing black, holding a wake, sending flowers, and burying the dead, into comprehensible forms. Psychologically speaking, where we struggle to make sense of death, we are mildly soothed by the predictability of these rituals. Although the specific actions around loss may be different, they are so vital to our dealing with death that the existence itself of these rituals are culturally universal.
Broadway lost one of its bright stars and beloved friends this week. Marin Mazzie, star of Ragtime, Passion, Kiss Me Kate, Next to Normal, Spamalot, Man of La Mancha, and The King and I lost her battle to ovarian cancer at the age of 57. She was three-times Tony nominated and had a singular presence on stage, as well as being regarded by her peers as a spectacular human with a wicked wit.
Marin Mazzie in The King and I (Photo: Paul Kolnik)
It is a tradition in the Broadway community to dim all of the marquees when a notable member of the theater family has died. Given Mazzie’s prominence in the Broadway community and her notable roles in canonical pieces, it was quite a surprise when the Broadway League announced the day after her passing that there would be 6 dimmed marquees on the 19th (5 of the theaters where she played roles and the Nederlander Theatre, where her beloved husband, Jason Danieley, is currently performing in Pretty Woman).
The League has cited their emphasis on not diminishing the importance of this tradition in choosing not to dim all of the lights for Mazzie. Like any ritual, the marquee dimming allows community members a chance to come together to grieve, it supports to need to find meaning, and it helps make the unpredictable more predictable. The value of this ritual is not in the honor it bestows to the fallen but in the soothing it provides for the living. Dim all of the lights, we need it.
Update: On September 17th, the Broadway League changed their decision and announced that they would be dimming all of the 41 Broadway marquees in honor of Mazzie in response to community support for this to occur.
