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The Utah theater world is mourning the death of Victoria Mallory, an actor considered Broadway royalty, who performed at the Egyptian Theatre and Pioneer Theatre Company from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. Mallory, a former Park City resident, died on Sunday, Aug. 30, of pancreatic cancer. She was 65.
Mallory, who originally trained as a pianist, made her Broadway debut as Maria after Richard Rodgers cast her in the 1968 Broadway revival of "West Side Story." She was noted for her performances in a series of Stephen Sondheim musicals, including originating the role of Young Heidi in "Follies" and then graduating to a starring turn as Anne Egerman in 1973's "A Little Night Music."
She went on to marry her co-star from that show, Mark Lambert, and in a heartwarming backstage story, their daughter, Ramona Mallory Lambert, performed her mother's role in "A Little Night Music" in the first Broadway revival in 2009.
Mallory was born in Virginia and lived all over as the daughter of an Army officer, including Germany. In the 1970s, she and Lambert left New York City for Los Angeles, where she played Leslie Brooks on "The Young and the Restless" and Dr. Denise Foxworthy on "Santa Barbara," while continuing to perform on regional stages across the country, including Pioneer Theatre Company. She played "virtually every leading lady role in musical theater," according to an obituary posted on Broadwayworld.com.
Utah friends lovingly recall the story of another starring role. Shortly after leaving New York City, she received a phone call from Michael Bennett and Marvin Hamlisch, who sang and played a new song for her over the phone. They wanted her to originate a role in their new musical "A Chorus Line," but she decided to focus on her family and turned it down.
She and her husband lived in Park City during the 1990s and early 2000s, where she taught voice lessons, directed shows and taught youth theater classes at the Egyptian Theatre. Her PTC performances included "The Secret Garden," "1776," "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Alexandre Dumas and the Lady of the Camellias."
"You've probably heard how gracious and kind and wonderful she was, and she was, and she brought all of that beauty to the stage with her, that beautiful open heart," says actor and colleague Anne Stewart Mark, recalling singing with Mallory at PTC's memorial for Robert Peterson, who died in 2003. "She brought so much love to everything she did."
Despite her lauded résumé, Mallory would take any job, from "third spear carrier on the left" to pianist, to bring a show to the stage. "She was not a diva, ever," says Dana Durbano Pearson, the founder of the YouTheatre program and former artistic director at the Egyptian Theatre. "And she had every right to be a diva. Of anybody I have worked with or seen onstage, Victoria had the ability to focus. She is the character."
Friends recall her loyalty and her listening ear, as well as her delightful giggle. "She was humble," says Utah-based actor Kim Blackett, who became close friends with Mallory and her husband. "I don't think anyone disliked her. When you first met her, she made you feel you had known her your whole life."
He recalls a time shortly after his father died, when he and Mallory made a trip to Yellowstone National Park, which she had always wanted to see.
Memories of his father made it difficult for Blackett to stay in his family's cabin. "She saved that place for me," he recalls. "We would tour through the park during the day, and at night, she would act out scenes from 'Follies.' I got to see the whole show through her acting it out in front of me."
"I'm one of so many people who said: 'She saw me when nobody else did,' " says actor David Spencer, who went on to become dear friends with Mallory and is helping plan her memorials. "She saw the value of me and she helped that blossom."
Her incredible talent was increased by the nurturing light of her personality. Mallory believed in her students and inspired them to reach the next level as performers. "She made everyone feel like they could do anything," Pearson says.
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Utah memorial for Victoria Mallory
P The actor, a former Park City resident, will be honored with a memorial at 10 a.m. Sept. 27 at the Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State, Salt Lake City.