Names and faces
■ Tony Award-winning actress Kelli O’Hara was devastated by the recent death of fellow Broadway veteran Marin Mazzie, so she decided to honor her friend quietly onstage as she performs one of Mazzie’s old roles in the latest revival of Kiss Me, Kate. “I have her with me every night. I make my entrance in the hat she made her entrance in,” O’Hara said Thursday at the opening night of the musical. Mazzie, a three-time Tony Award nominee known for powerhouse Broadway performances, died in September of ovarian cancer. She was 57. In addition to the hat, O’Hara and actress Stephanie Styles offer fans another special gesture, even if they may not be aware of it. Both actresses fight over a dress onstage — the same one Mazzie wore in her final scene. “So, Marin Mazzie is on our stage with us every night. She was one of the strongest women I know,” O’Hara said. Among Mazzie’s most famous roles was Lilli in a 1999-2001 revival of Kiss Me, Kate, the same role O’Hara is playing now. O’Hara recalled seeing Mazzie play it and calling it “one of the most inspirational things I’d ever seen.” “I wanted to be that woman. I wanted to play that strong character, and Marin was definitely one of my biggest inspirations,” O’Hara said. O’Hara and Mazzie’s paths crossed often, with O’Hara seeing the older actress in Ragtime some eight times and Mazzie replacing O’Hara in a revival of The King and I on Broadway in 2016.
■ Rapper Meek Mill is being honored in his hometown of Philadelphia for his work as a criminal-justice overhaul advocate and as a musician. The City Council announced Thursday that it will hold a “Meek Mill Weekend” beginning Friday and ending Sunday. In January, Mill joined Jay-Z and others to form a coalition that lobbies for changes to state probation and parole laws called the Reform Alliance. Mill became a symbol for criminal-justice activists after a judge in Pennsylvania sentenced him to two to four years in prison for minor violations of his probation conditions in a gunand drug-possession case from a decade ago. He spent months in prison before a court ordered him released. Mill said at Thursday’s announcement that he’s trying to “give young kids a fair shot in the system.” Born Robert Rihmeek Williams, Mill grew up in the city. He’s best known for his hit “Dreams and Nightmares.”