Photo: Mark Clavin/WOUB Public Media
Marathon ’33
Overview: a young girl (June/Gene) is trying to audition for an entertainment slot at a dance marathon outside of town but ends up competing in the marathon and dancing for 3200 hours straight.
Marathon ’33 is one of the most depressing shows I’ve seen in a while, appropriately set in the era of the Great Depression. In the show, June (who is called Gene for a stage name) goes through a heart-wrenching journey of a young girl just trying to survive to a contestant in an incredibly cruel dance marathon that makes light of the question, “How far will you go to survive?”
Gene will fake a marriage, survive going “squirrely” (crazy), and suffer a disgusting foot trauma all in the name of money.
The Ohio University cast does an incredible job with this performance. In the beginning it’s easy to disassociate with these characters and their pain. It even seems silly that Gene gets so upset with the prospect of the dance marathon. By the end, it feels painful and terrifying to watch these desolate characters juxtaposed with the spectators around them who are gleefully throwing money and laughing.
Aurora Held, the director, compared this play to “The Hunger Games,” and it makes a certain amount of sense. By the end of this show, emotions are drained everywhere, and calling your mama doesn’t seem so out of the question.
Marathon ’33 is playing Feb. 24-27 at 8 p.m. in the Forum Theater, Radio-Television Building, 35 S. College St.
Admission is free for Ohio University students with a student ID. General admission tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors and other students.
Winter Dance Concert
Ohio University’s annual Winter Dance Concert took place Feb. 20-21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
Although brief, six routines lasting a little over an hour, the dance concert was especially of interest for people into abstract art.
The concert featured dances choreographed by faculty members Nathan Andary and Travis Gatling as well as guest choreographers Nii-Tete Yartey, Artistic Director for the National Dance Company of Ghana, Leslie Dworkin, and Lisa Moulton.
I thoroughly enjoyed Imprint, choreographed by Nathan Andary, which gave the appearance of an alien encounter, and Mod-estly Psychedlic, choreographed by Travis Gatling, which had a groovy ‘60s vibe to it. Mod-estly Psychedlic originally premiered in Ohio University’s Spring 2011 Concert.
Other performances featured in the Winter Dance Concert included Face to Face by Travis Gatling, Rise by Leslie Dworkin, Each Other’s Angels by Lisa Moulton, and Esum by Nii-Tete Yartey.
The Spring 2015 Senior Concert will take place April 17 at 7 and 9 p.m. and April 18 at 12 p.m. Show times are in the Shirley Wimmer Dance Theatre in Putnam Hall.