Andrea Martin’s journey to stage and screen stardom on Broadway and in Hollywood came full circle Thursday when she received a tribute at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Canada gala in Toronto within eyeshot of the Royal Alexander Theatre, where a quirky 1972 Toronto staging of Godspell she performed in became a life-changing experience.
“Basically this newly minted Canadian icon is a person who just got lucky,” Martin said from a stage at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, across a downtown square from the Royal Alex. Martin was honored with the Icon Award at the WIE Canada event, which recognizes Canadian cultural achievements that advanced greater representation of women in the media and entertainment industry and artistic visions that reach global audiences.
“I was cast in the Canadian company of Godspell, and found myself surrounded with a great company of actors who became my friends for life, who have always spoken the truth to me, whether I wanted to hear it or not, and have been there for me, as I have for them, for over 50 years,” Martin recalled.
American-born Martin played Robin in the Toronto run for the iconic hippie musical alongside fellow cast members Victor Garber, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Dave Thomas and Jayne Eastwood, who helped present her award. Over a half-century later, that humble staging of the Godspell musical paved the way for Martin, a Tony Award-winning stage actress for My Favorite Year and Pippin. In 1976, Martin joined the fledgling Second City comedy troupe, and and then performed iconic sketch comedy roles on SCTV, which earned her two Emmy awards for writing.
