Mary Louise Lee Death Fact Check
Mary is alive and kicking.
Please ignore rumors and hoaxes.
If you have any unfortunate news that this page should be update with, please let us know using this form.
Mary Louise Lee - Biography
Denver mayor-elect's wife to appear in "The Wiz"Singer Mary Louise Lee to play Glinda for Afterthought Theatre Company: Jazz singer and actress Mary Louise Lee has been scorching Denver stages for more than a decade, but the Afterthought Theatre Company's upcoming production of "The Wiz" will mark her first theatrical appearance after becoming Denver's first lady.Lee, wife of mayor-elect Michael Hanc*ck, will play Glinda the Good Witch of the South, who encourages Dorothy to believe in herself, in a staging scheduled for Aug. 26 through Sept. 24 at the Dayton Street Theatre in Aurora.That's the former home of Shadow Theatre, for whom Lee starred as Billie Holiday in that company's biggest bit, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill," in 2002.In "The Wiz," Lee will sing the songs "A Rested Body Is a Rested Mind," and the reprise to "If You Believe."Lee auditioned during the mayoral campaign. "But none of us knew she was (Hanc*ck's) wife at the time," Afterthought executive director Reynelda Snell said. "It only came up after we cast her in the role, and we asked what her scheduling conflicts might be."Lee, a program manager for the city of Denver and leader of her own self-titled R&B; band, met the mayor-elect while they were at Cole Middle School together. They have two children.Lee often sings at benefits and community events like last year's Juneteenth celebration, but last appeared on a theater stage in 2008. Her most recent roles were in the Denver Civic Theatre's "Menopause the Musical," followed by an all-star revue of celebrity impersonations called "Live at the Rossonian" at the Crossroads Theatre in Five Points. She played Holiday.Snell thinks performing will be a great way for Lee to keep her roots in the community and her individual identity intact. But her presence will no doubt benefit Afterthought, and the theater community as a whole."It will raise awareness of the arts in Denver to have the mayor's wife in the show, and that is a wonderful thing," added "The Wiz" director Bernie Cardell. "I'm just not sure yet how I should address her yet."Snell founded Afterthought last year, in part to increase the visibility of black artists in the Denver area. "Having the first lady in our show will naturally bring a whole new caliber of viewer to our theater," she said. "There are going to be people of influence and means coming through our door, and that will mean everything to Afterthought."I am completely honored that she is taking a chance on a company that is fairly new to the community."Lee's resume includes "A Brief History of White Music," which ran for 51 weeks in 1997-98 at the Vogue Theater; Country Dinner Playhouse's "Beehive" and "Ain't Misbehavin'," Theatre Aspen's "Smokey Joe's Café," and the Arvada Center's "1940s Radio Hour."Lee was nominated for a Denver Post Ovation Award for best year by an actress in 2005.In an unusual twist, local actress Stephanie Hanc*ck has been cast to play Evillene in "The Wiz." Like Lee, Stephanie Hanc*ck is also married to a man named Michael Hanc*ck. Stephanie Hanc*ck's husband grew up in Killeen, Texas, the same city where the mayor-elect was born. "We know they have to be related somehow, but we just don't know how yet," Snell said.Dorothy will be played by Faith Goins. Also in leading roles: TJ Hogle (Lion), Terence Ellison (Scarecrow), Curshion Jones (Tin Man) and Shelley McMillion (The Wiz).
