Friday, August 10, 2012

Marathon '33 and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson both take you on an original ride

There are many reasons we go to the theater, one of which is to see something like we've never seen before. There are two such examples taking place now in the Washington, D.C. area: Marathon '33 by the American Century Theater through Aug. 25 at the Gunston II in South Arlington; and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Studio Theatre through Aug. 26.
Marathon '33 puts you in the audience for one of those incredible dance marathons of the 1930s. It was written by child and adult star June Havoc - she was the sister of the famous Gypsy Rose Lee - who experienced these firsthand.  Julie Harris played the lead on Broadway in the 1960s.  It is not a great play but it is a showcase for many talented dancers, singers and musicians of American Century.  And they get the atmosphere right - or at least it feels like they do.  Newspaper clips from the 1930s posted outside the theater help put you in the right mood. Try to catch this.

Bloody Bloody was a hit off-Broadway and then tried to move to Broadway.  You can easily detect that a small venue works much better for this musical.  You need to feel the music and see the crazy looks on the characters' faces, and at Studio's second stage, this is accomplished.  Heath Calvert and Felicia Curry carry the show on their talented shoulders. I wouldn't say anything is great, but it's all good from the driving music to the Monty Python-esque American historical figures - you'll have to see for yourself - to the "interesting" history lessons we get. Again though, this is a show like no other and clocking in at an intermission-less 90 minutes, deserves to be seen.