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Marathon 33.
For a cast of 21 men, 16 women, and many bit parts. THE As The New York Daily News "MARATHON '33 does not fall into any pat category, for it is not a comedy or a drama or a musical or a vaudeville show, even though it makes brilliant use of each. It is a documentary—a sharp and terribly accurate summary of a cheesy, sleazy period of our time. The period is 1933—a period of depression when many people would do literally anything in order to eat. Some of these people found themselves in dance marathons, an incredible—now—blending of sadism and masochism where audiences filled big arenas like Madison Square Garden to watch idiots try to dance themselves dead in a month or two or more…There is no curtain now at the ANTA Theatre and the stage comes way out, and the downfront members of the audience don't know for sure if the people next to them have also bought their tickets or are members of the cast. The cast, employing most of the members of the Actors Studio, is big enough for two musicals. And it is very, very good, down to the last man and woman and boy and girl…I have not seen many plays which pack so much vivid detail into so little time on one set. If you see MARATHON '33—and I urge you to do so—you will find yourself smack dab back in a time which never could have been, but was."
- GenresPlays
72 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1998
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25 people want to read
About the author
June Havoc
5 books4 followersBirth name Ellen June Evangeline Hovick. Canadian-born American actress, dancer, writer, and stage director.
Havoc was a child vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother Rose Thompson Hovick.She later acted on Broadway and in Hollywood, and stage-directed, both on and off-Broadway. She last appeared on television in 1990 in a story arc on the soap opera General Hospital. Her elder sister Louise gravitated to burlesque and became the well-known ecdysiast Gypsy Rose Lee.
Havoc was married three times & has authored books about her life.
Havoc was a child vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother Rose Thompson Hovick.She later acted on Broadway and in Hollywood, and stage-directed, both on and off-Broadway. She last appeared on television in 1990 in a story arc on the soap opera General Hospital. Her elder sister Louise gravitated to burlesque and became the well-known ecdysiast Gypsy Rose Lee.
Havoc was married three times & has authored books about her life.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 17, 2023
2,5, rounded up.
This is more of a curiosity these days than a viable piece of theatre - first of all it requires a cast of nearly 40, and a very elaborate set design. It's also one of the few plays I've read that probably contains more detailed stage directions than it does actual dialogue. It's an autobiographical piece by the popular actress of the 40's and '50's, who is perhaps best known nowadays as the inspiration behind the character of Baby/Dainty June in the 1959 musical 'Gypsy', about her sister, Gypsy Rose Lee.
From her Wikipedia page, here's the scoop behind the play's origins:
In 1959, Havoc's first memoir, Early Havoc, was published. The New York Times critic called the book "spirited" and "entertaining." In the memoir, Havoc recounted her life from childhood to 1933, when she first competed in a marathon dance contest. The chapters alternated between a chronological progression and a description of the grueling marathon dance contest, detailing the desperation and degradation she experienced and observed. At the time of the book's publication, Havoc was appearing on Broadway in the play The Warm Peninsula, co-starring Julie Harris and Farley Granger. Harris read the memoir, and was so taken with the dance contest chapters that she urged Havoc to write a play based upon that experience. At first, she demurred, never having written a play. However, Harris persisted, and when she said that she would star as Havoc's character in the play, Havoc was finally persuaded to write the play. Upon completion, the play Marathon '33 was performed in a workshop at the Actors Studio. David Merrick optioned the play for Broadway with Gower Champion set to direct. However, Havoc canceled the option, explaining that Merrick wanted to turn the play into a musical. Champion responded that Havoc had canceled the option because Merrick had wanted her to work with another writer to revise the play, and she had refused.
Havoc then planned to present Marathon '33 in the Riviera Terrace ballroom, an actual dance hall. However, when the ballroom was sold, she agreed to present her play on Broadway. As director and choreographer, Havoc turned the stage at the ANTA Theatre into a dance hall. Marathon '33 proved to be a flop, opening on December 22, 1963, running for 48 performances and closing on February 1, 1964. The play featured 34 actors, several of whom had highly successful careers, including Doris Roberts, Joe Don Baker, Conrad Janis, Gabriel Dell, Ralph Waite and co-author of 'Hair', James Rado. The play earned four Tony nominations, including nominations for Havoc for best direction of a play and for Harris as best actress in a play.
Unfortunately, nowadays it suffers in comparison with that OTHER work about marathon dancing, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, which is best known through the 1969 film version, although the original novella came out in 1935. It has set pieces that are nearly identical, and so I doubt anyone would be eager to produce it. Still, an interesting artifact, and not sorry I read it.
This is more of a curiosity these days than a viable piece of theatre - first of all it requires a cast of nearly 40, and a very elaborate set design. It's also one of the few plays I've read that probably contains more detailed stage directions than it does actual dialogue. It's an autobiographical piece by the popular actress of the 40's and '50's, who is perhaps best known nowadays as the inspiration behind the character of Baby/Dainty June in the 1959 musical 'Gypsy', about her sister, Gypsy Rose Lee.
From her Wikipedia page, here's the scoop behind the play's origins:
In 1959, Havoc's first memoir, Early Havoc, was published. The New York Times critic called the book "spirited" and "entertaining." In the memoir, Havoc recounted her life from childhood to 1933, when she first competed in a marathon dance contest. The chapters alternated between a chronological progression and a description of the grueling marathon dance contest, detailing the desperation and degradation she experienced and observed. At the time of the book's publication, Havoc was appearing on Broadway in the play The Warm Peninsula, co-starring Julie Harris and Farley Granger. Harris read the memoir, and was so taken with the dance contest chapters that she urged Havoc to write a play based upon that experience. At first, she demurred, never having written a play. However, Harris persisted, and when she said that she would star as Havoc's character in the play, Havoc was finally persuaded to write the play. Upon completion, the play Marathon '33 was performed in a workshop at the Actors Studio. David Merrick optioned the play for Broadway with Gower Champion set to direct. However, Havoc canceled the option, explaining that Merrick wanted to turn the play into a musical. Champion responded that Havoc had canceled the option because Merrick had wanted her to work with another writer to revise the play, and she had refused.
Havoc then planned to present Marathon '33 in the Riviera Terrace ballroom, an actual dance hall. However, when the ballroom was sold, she agreed to present her play on Broadway. As director and choreographer, Havoc turned the stage at the ANTA Theatre into a dance hall. Marathon '33 proved to be a flop, opening on December 22, 1963, running for 48 performances and closing on February 1, 1964. The play featured 34 actors, several of whom had highly successful careers, including Doris Roberts, Joe Don Baker, Conrad Janis, Gabriel Dell, Ralph Waite and co-author of 'Hair', James Rado. The play earned four Tony nominations, including nominations for Havoc for best direction of a play and for Harris as best actress in a play.
Unfortunately, nowadays it suffers in comparison with that OTHER work about marathon dancing, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, which is best known through the 1969 film version, although the original novella came out in 1935. It has set pieces that are nearly identical, and so I doubt anyone would be eager to produce it. Still, an interesting artifact, and not sorry I read it.
August 6, 2022
This is a staged rendition of the autobiographical marathon tale told in Havoc's 1959 memoir, Early Havoc. A lost girl with some vaudeville skills, another victim of the Depression, slips into one of the crazy endless dance marathons that cropped up in the 30's. It seems a miserable option, but it's her only option, and it assures she'll get fed for as long as she can keep dancing.
This is one of those stressful youthful adventures that's surreal in retrospect, and we come out of them either beaten down or with a better idea of who we are. It's a scenario that draws me into her story, because we've all been there, one way or another.
Being a great fan of the Havoc's writings (see my review of "Early Havoc" here), I sought out a copy of the play, not realizing it told the same story. But that's okay; a few years had passed and I enjoyed the script too.
In her memoir, this marathon incident is presented as autobiographical, and it broadly tracks a part of Havoc's young life. But I get the impression that Havoc chose to tell a good story rather than be strictly accurate, and that's as it should be.
From a Google search, I take it "Marathon 33" was staged in the early 60's when it was written (here's a playbill!), and was appreciated but not wildly successful. It strikes me as difficult to stage; it requires a large number of characters. But I think it might make a great independent movie. It's set on a single location, so with a talented crew and no expensive stars, it could probably be done on a budget. I'd love to see that.
This is one of those stressful youthful adventures that's surreal in retrospect, and we come out of them either beaten down or with a better idea of who we are. It's a scenario that draws me into her story, because we've all been there, one way or another.
Being a great fan of the Havoc's writings (see my review of "Early Havoc" here), I sought out a copy of the play, not realizing it told the same story. But that's okay; a few years had passed and I enjoyed the script too.
In her memoir, this marathon incident is presented as autobiographical, and it broadly tracks a part of Havoc's young life. But I get the impression that Havoc chose to tell a good story rather than be strictly accurate, and that's as it should be.
From a Google search, I take it "Marathon 33" was staged in the early 60's when it was written (here's a playbill!), and was appreciated but not wildly successful. It strikes me as difficult to stage; it requires a large number of characters. But I think it might make a great independent movie. It's set on a single location, so with a talented crew and no expensive stars, it could probably be done on a budget. I'd love to see that.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews