When Lavin directed the Broadway musical “It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman,” legendary producer and director Hal Prince handed her her first significant opportunity.
In 1969, she received a Tony nomination for Simon’s play “Last of the Red Hot Lovers.” Eighteen years later, she won for another Simon piece, “Broadway Bound.”
Lavin relocated to Los Angeles in the middle of the 1970s. In 1976, she was selected to play in a new CBS sitcom based on Ellen Burstyn’s Oscar-winning waitress comedy-drama,
“Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” and she had a regular part on “Barney Miller.” Later, Lavin returned to Broadway to appear in Paul Rudnick’s comedy.
“The New Century,” perform in a concert called “Songs & Confessions of a One-Time Waitress,” and get a Tony nomination for “Collected Stories” by Donald Margulies.
