Marge Lillard, at 94, is still kicking — and we aren’t kidding. This Clarksville legend will return to the Roxy Regional Theatre stage in Mary Poppins, recreating the cameo role played in the movie by Jane Darwell, singing the award winning song “Feed the Birds.”
In 1983, during the early days of attempting to create magic on the corner of Franklin and First, a dear friend, Marge, and her daughter Donna arrived in the lobby asking, “What can I do?”
What she did was act, sing and choreograph for us for the last 33 years.
After the special grand opening performance of Mary Poppins at 8:00pm on Saturday, April 25, we will celebrate this stage legend’s amazing life in the theatre with champagne and “a touch of Marge.” Tickets for this event are $40 and can be purchased online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org or by calling the box office at (931) 645-7699.
Marge made her stage debut at age 9 and played about anywhere there was a stage. In fact, every state in the union has had the pleasure of seeing and hearing her perform in the Solly Childs Revue.
Following her husband, the late retired Colonel James Lillard, on his tour of duty to Europe, she even played on stages in Europe with the USO and has been nominated for “Military Wife of the Year.” In life, she has played wife, mother, grandmother and even great-grandmother in life while on the stage.
Clarksville audiences will remember Marge as Frau Schneider in the Roxy Regional Theatre’s first production of Cabaret, her starring turn in 70 Girls 70, playing opposite the late Mary Harpel in Arsenic and Old Lace, tapping with executive director Tom Thayer in Funny Girl, as well as playing paramour to artistic director John McDonald’s Zorba. No role too big, no role too small, she has played a witch in Macbeth and a mute grandmother in All the Way Home. And that is just here at the Roxy. Audiences will also remember Marge in the Fort Campbell Community Theatre productions of Hello, Dolly, playing Dolly, as well as Mame, playing Vera Charles.
Having a chance to hear Marge Lillard chat about her life in the theatre is a golden opportunity for us and anyone interested in theatre performance. And who knows? She may even tap a little!
