Tony Award-winner Karen Ziemba, star of Broadway's CURTAINS, CONTACT, STEEL PIER and NEVER GONNA DANCE, is set to participate in the Abingdon Theatre Company's MARATHON '33 -- a star-studded celebration and special presentation of a new stage show inspired by June Havoc's 1963 play of the same title -- for one night only on Monday, October 19, beginning at 6:30pm at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street).
Tomé Cousin and
Peter Gregus are set to direct and choreograph a cast of more than twenty performers as they jitterbug and jive to the sounds of bygone days. Ms. Ziemba will perform "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and other standards of the Depression Era.
Joining the evening, as special guests, will be Broadway actresses who have portrayed Baby June or Dainty June, the roles based on Miss Havoc in the landmark musical GYPSY.
Lane Bradbury, Broadway's original "Dainty June" (and an original cast member of Broadway's MARATHON '33), and
Merle Louise, Ms. Lane's replacement in GYPSY, will be on hand to celebrate Miss Havoc's life. Also set to attend are
Sami Gayle,
Bonnie Langford,
Leigh Ann Larkin,
Maureen Moore,
Kate Reinders,
Christen Tassin and
Heather Tepe. Additional participants and special guests are to be announced.
In December, 1963,
June Havoc's MARATHON '33 opened on Broadway, starring
Julie Harris. The play, which Ms. Havoc also directed, recounted her experiences as a participant of dance marathons. In 1933, the entire country was amid the Great Depression, and unemployed, but a group of talented performers competed to see who could dance the longest -- and collect the much-need prize money. Sixty couples began the competition. After five to six months of endless dancing, the field was narrowed to a handful. The marathoners danced for 45 minutes out of every hour, 24 hours a day. The 11-minute rest-period and the two minutes to get to and from the dance floor were enough rest for the first 800 to 1,000 hours. Sleeping while leaning on one's partner was a necessity. Calluses developed after the first 500 hours. After the 1,000-hour mark, sprints, grinds and similar events occurred until contestants collapsed and fell by the wayside.
Miss Havoc, for whom Abingdon Theatre Company named its mainstage theater, began her career at the age of two as "Dainty June, The Darling of Vaudeville." At age 14, she danced in the first of her seven marathons. She also starred in twenty-two Broadway plays and penned two autobiographies, "More Havoc" and "Early Havoc," upon which her play MARATHON '33 is based. Miss Havoc is a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame and a double-honoree on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Miss Havoc, along with her sister, the infamous
Gypsy Rose Lee, and mother, Rose, were immortalized in the musical GYPSY.
Karen Ziemba won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in
Susan Stroman's CONTACT. Other Broadway credits include Tony nominated performances in STEEL PIER, NEVER GONNA DANCE and, most recently, CURTAINS. She has also appeared on Broadway in A CHORUS LINE, 42nd STREET, CRAZY FOR YOU, CHICAGO, AND THE WORLD GOES ROUND, and I DO! I DO! in addition to her work Off-Broadway, on television's "Law & Order," and in the film version of "The Producers."
In addition to the entertainment, Abingdon Theatre Company will serve comfort foods of the era (and of today too) including hot dogs, pretzels, peanuts, cotton candy and beer. Raffles, door prizes and other surprises add to the evening's fun. Vintage attire is encouraged. MARATHON '33 begins at 6:30pm with swing lessons, taught by Myrna Caceres, who also teaches at the 92nd Street Y. The stage show begins at 8:00pm, followed by drinks and dancing.
Proceeds from MARATHON '33 benefit Abingdon Theatre Company. The evening is set to honor five-time Tony Award-winner
Julie Harris and Abingdon Board Chairman Emeritus Margot London.
Tomé Cousin's Broadway credits as a performer include
Susan Stroman's CONTACT and DREAMGIRLS IN CONCERT. He directed and choreographed
Asolo Repertory Theatre's production of CONTACT.
Peter Gregus' Broadway credits include JERSEY BOYS, CONTACT, and benefit presentations of THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS and FUNNY GIRL.
Abingdon Theatre Company launches its 2009-2010 Off-Broadway Season with the world premiere of INVENTING AVI, a zany comedy of theatrical manners by
Robert Cary and
Benjamin Feldman on October 2 at the
June Havoc Theatre (312 West 36th Street).
Directed by
Mark Waldrop, INVENTING AVI grapples with questions of authorship and identity as two sisters "of a certain age" -- one a rich producer and the other, a diva of the stage -- collaborate on a hit play from a sexy Israeli writer. The play seems autobiographical, but the story is actually stolen from a place closer to home than either sister could ever imagine. INVENTING AVI stars
Alix Korey,
Emily Zacharias,
Stanley Bahorek, Havilah Brewster, Lori Gardner and Juri Henley-Cohn. Opening night is set for October 14, 2009.
MARATHON '33 takes place on Monday, October 19 at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street); beginning at 6:30pm with Swing Lessons; Stage Show at 8:00pm, followed by drinks and dancing. Tickets begin at $50. For more information about individual tickets, or to reserve a table, please contact Sarah Rulfs at 212-868-2055. For more information about Abingdon Theatre Company (312 West 36th Street) and its upcoming season, visit
www.abingdontheatre.org.
