A memorial service for Rivertree Theatre co-founder Mary Chandler Mahoney will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, April 27, in Littleton.
Mahoney acted, directed and supported local theater activities for many years, notably when she and husband Pat Mahoney ran the Rivertree Theatre in lower downtown Denver, not far from My Brother’s Bar. Eventually the Rivertree settled into what later was called the Phoenix Theatre, then the Theatre Off-Broadway, at 1124 Santa Fe Drive. The space is now vacant.
Mahoney died April 9 in Englewood. She was 55.
Born Nov. 5, 1953, Chandler drew consistent, laudatory notices for her acting and directing. In a 1994 Rivertree production of “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” Westword wrote: “Mary Chandler’s hard-as-nails performance as Elaine is so bleak, sarcastic and troubling that she casts a pall of loneliness and pathos over the first act. Good work.”
For “Mornings at Seven, it was written, “It’s the RiverTree’s excellent ensemble cast and Mary Chandler’s smart, easy direction that brings these souls to life. It’s amazing how interesting ‘dull’ lives can actually be in the hands of the right playwright and company.”
The service will be held at the Hudson Gardens & Events Center, 6115 S. Santa Drive. That’s directly across from Arapahoe Community College. Turn right off Santa Fe Drive at Maplewood Street.
Those attending the service are invited to come early and take of tour of the gardens that Mary loved so well. “It’s a gift from Mary,” Pat Mahoney said. The ceremony itself will not be a formal wake.
“Bring your memories and your stories,” he said. “This will not be a sad time. This is a celebration of a life.”
Mary Chandler Mahoney is also survived by a sister, Annette Chandler, and a brother, Chuck Chandler. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to MaxFund Animal Shelter, 1025 Galapago St.
For more information, call 303-797-8565. To see a map of Hudson Gardens,
