Spartan Profiles: Peter Marinos

MR. BROADWAY

            In 1976, four years after graduating from MSU in theatre, he made his Broadway debut opposite Gwen Verdon in Bob Fosse’s Chicago. In 2001, a quarter of a century later, Peter Marinos, ’73, is appearing with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the smash hit The Producers, the most awarded show in Broadway history. In between these two historical productions, Marinos became a familiar face in the Great White Way, appearing in blockbusters like Evita, Zorba and The Secret Garden and working with a Who’s Who of Broadway.

            “I’m having the time of my life,” says Marinos. “There’s nothing better than an audience laughing non-stop for two hours. They might as well be throwing vitamins because you get so incredibly charged.”

            In Producers, Peter plays 12 different characters—including four during “Springtime For Hitler.” “I play a German peasant, two Nazi soldiers and Winston Churchill,” he says. “Every second I’m off-stage, I’m changing costumes.”

            A native of Pontiac, Peter came to MSU because he read about the upcoming Wharton Center—which was not completed until after his graduation. “I did come back with Cats,” he recalls. “At that time, I also taught a class and a workshop at MSU.”

            Peter remembers his mentors at MSU, including Mariam Duckwell, Peter Landry, Maggie Moore and Dixie Durr (current theater chairperson). “Frank Rutledge was the most inspirational person I met at MSU,” he recalls. During his musical theater career, Peter did appear in one film—Woody Allen’s Manhattan. “I serve hamburger to Woody and Diane Keaton,” he says. “It was next to nothing but the shoot took 14 hours.” But Peter’s favorite memory is landing his first role as Mary Sunshine in Chicago. “I auditioned on a dare, and was shocked when I got the part,” he says. “I called my parents and told them, ‘I’m on Broadway but I have to dress like a woman!’”