Marilyn Roberta Sokol (born February 22, 1944) is an American actress, musician, comedian, and producer, perhaps best known for her roles as Lulu Brecht in ''

Can't Stop the Music ''Can't Stop the Music'' is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker. Written by Allan Carr and Bronté Woodard, the film is a pseudo-biography of the 1970s disco group the Village People loosely based on the actual story of ...

'' (1980) and as Ma Otter in ''

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas ''Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'' is a 1977 television special directed by Jim Henson, based on the 1971 children's book of the same name by Russell Hoban. The special features an ensemble cast of Henson's Muppet characters as well as chara ...

'' (1977). She has received an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

and a

Bistro Award ''Backstage'', also previously written as ''Back Stage'', is an American entertainment industry trade publication. Founded by Allen Zwerdling and Ira Eaker in 1960, it covers the film and performing arts industry from the perspective of performer ...

Biography

She lives in New York City and has appeared in film, television as well as in theatre on Broadway,

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

and regional theatres. Sokol was born February 22, 1944, in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and attended

Calvin Coolidge High School Calvin Coolidge High School is a public high school of the District of Columbia Public Schools system located in the Takoma neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Its campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Plac ...

in Washington, D.C., and New York University. She began her professional career in 1966 as a belly dancer in the national production of ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay ''I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes ...

''. She won an

Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress The Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress was first presented in 1956. The award has no nominees and there is no set number of winners per year. Each performance listed by year below was given an award and they are listed in no pa ...

in 1972 for her performance in a

Chelsea Theater Center The Chelsea Theater Center was a not-for-profit theater company founded in 1965 by Robert Kalfin, a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. It opened its doors in a church in the Chelsea district of Manhattan, then moved to the Brooklyn Academy of ...

production of ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...

''.Ellen Stern
"Suddenly It's Sokol"
''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'', October 24, 1977. In 1977, she voiced Ma Otter in ''

.'' In 1980, she was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress at the

1st Golden Raspberry Awards The 1st Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 31, 1981, at John Wilson's living room alcove to recognize the worst the film industry had to offer in 1980. Each category included as many as ten nominees; the maximum was lowered to five the f ...

for her role in ''

''. She has worked as a comedian, singer, and cabaret performer. In 2012-2013, she starred in the off-Broadway production ''

Old Jews Telling Jokes ''Old Jews Telling Jokes'' is a web series launched in 2009 created and directed by Sam Hoffman and produced by Eric Spiegelman and Tim Williams for Jetpack Media, Inc. It has since gone on to garner millions of unique views over several original ...

''. She has taught as a distinguished lecturer in the theatre program at Lehman College. She also portrayed Agnes Vertrulli on the web series ''

Submissions Only ''Submissions Only'' is a comedy web series about the casting and audition process for Broadway theater. It centers around aspiring actress Penny Reilly (Kate Wetherhead) and her friend, casting agency director Tim Trull (Colin Hanlon), and their ...

'' in 2014.

Filmography

Film

Television

Notable theater productions

* ''Year Boston Won the Pennant'' (1969) * ''The Great God Brown'', Cybel, Dec. 10, 1972 - Jan. 13, 1973 * ''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni (Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, '' El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

'', Matherine, Dec. 11, 1972 - Jan. 13, 1973 * ''Elephant Steps'' (1974) (in the role of Ragtime Lady, her performance of "Watch Me Put My Right Foot Through the Door" has been captured on the cast album) * '' Welcome to the Club'', Arlene Metzler, Apr. 13 - 22, 1989 *''Guilt Without Sex'' (one woman show, 1991)

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

"Review/Cabaret; Marilyn Sokol's Way With Guilt"
February 7, 1991. * ''

Conversations with My Father ''Conversations with My Father'' is a play by Herb Gardner. The play, which ran on Broadway in 1992 to 1993, was a finalist for the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Overview The play focuses on Eddie Ross (born Goldberg), who is a Russian immigran ...

'', Hannah de Blinde, Mar. 22, 1992 - Mar. 14, 1993 * '' Shlemiel the First'' (1994-1997) * ''Angel Levine'' (1995) * ''Sam and Itkeh'' (1997) * ''If Memory Serves'' (1999) * ''Closet Chronicles'' (2003) * '' In the Wings'' (2005) * ''

'' (2013)

References

External links

Official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sokol, Marilyn Living people 1937 births Actresses from New York City American stage actresses New York University alumni Lehman College faculty American film actresses American television actresses Obie Award recipients Emmy Award winners 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American web series actresses