Arts & Entertainment
Whatever happened to Baby June?
American Century production wreaks Havoc with ‘30s craze
‘Marathon ‘33’
Through Aug. 25
The American Century Theater
Gunston Arts Center
2700 South Lang Street, Arlington
$17-$35
703-998-4555
Steve Lebens, Frank Britton, Dan Corey, Ann De Michele and Chanukah Jane Lilburne in ‘Marathon ’33.’ (Photo by Dennis Deloria)
If you think the dance marathon craze made popular during the Great Depression was no different than other harmless passing fads like drive-ins, toga parties and pet rocks, think again.
As described in June Havoc’s “Marathon ‘33” (now playing at Arlington’s American Century Theater), the dance-‘til-you-drop contests were a pretty brutal pastime. In truth, they were torturous tests of endurance that kept hard-up participants sleepless on their feet for weeks, sometimes months, desperately hanging on for the guaranteed free meals and a shot at the prize money promised to the last couple left standing.
Havoc, the younger sister of legendary stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, was an actual veteran of the marathon circuit. She spent her childhood performing as vaudeville headliner “Baby June” (immortalized in the Broadway musical “Gypsy”) and later achieved Broadway and Hollywood success as an adult. But for three very lean years in between when the adolescent June eked out a living in marathons as a participant and featured entertainer (some marathoners sang, danced and did comic bits for extra tips). All in all, it was rough going, particularly for a girl who’d fallen so far.
“Marathon ’33” carefully illustrates the horrors of the endless event — unbending rules, dirty tricks, mandatory sprints to weed out weaker participants — and while these specifics are fascinating, the play’s thin plotline is not: down-and-out former child star makes it through bad times and comes out even stronger and somehow ennobled. And though the first act unfolds engagingly, the screechy second act is a letdown.
Staged by Jack Marshall, American Century Theater’s production best succeeds in recreating the marathon experience and transporting the audience back to 1933 (one of the worst years of the Depression). It looks and feels like the real thing. Throughout much of the two-and- a-half hour show there’s a live band playing and the marathon is always in progress. Two roustabouts are constantly mopping floors and moving chairs and tables. Seated as spectators, the audience gets a sense of the event with all its erratic energy and insanity. It seems Marshall has been faithful to the late playwright’s intentions (Havoc died at 97 in 2010).
Set designer Michael deBlois has transformed the big black box Gunston Theatre II into a period dance hall. The dance floor’s rail is ringed with café tables for two. The walls are papered with ads from local sponsors. There’s a cute concession stand and cot-filled rest area for contestants off to the side. Rip Claassen’s costumes add an appropriately tatty touch.
Of course, the autobiographical play’s central character is June Havoc renamed Jean Reed for the marathon. It’s hard to root for her. As played by Jennifer Richter, she scowls and sobs her way through the contest including her specialty act. You’d think a trouper like Baby June might exhibit a little star quality to make a buck. Not here.
Standouts in the large cast include Craig Miller as the marathon’s shady operator, and Bill Karukas as its smooth-talking emcee Ruddy Blaine. Daniel Corey is terrific as a ‘30s-style funnyman; Anne De Michele makes a great low rent Harlow wannabe and Deborah Rinn Critzer is a hoot as a well-off ringside spectator who takes maniacal delight in the more sadistic aspects of the entertainment.
Intermittently, musical director and pianist Tom Fuller leads the peppy six-person band in setting the mood with songs from the era sung by actors all in excellent voice.
Because Havoc’s 1963 work calls for about 30 actors and a band, it’s rarely produced, so kudos to American Century Theater for fulfilling its mission to promote 20th century theater by bringing Havoc’s firsthand account of this freaky slice of Americana to life.
History
Julius’ Bar ‘sip-in’ laid groundwork for Stonewall
Tuesday marked 60 years since four gay activists held protest
While Stonewall is widely considered the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the U.S., a lesser-known protest inside a Greenwich Village bar three years earlier helped lay critical groundwork for what would follow.
Tuesday marked 60 years since the Julius’ Bar “sip in.”
On April 21, 1966, four gay rights activists — Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, John Timmons, and later Randy Wicker — walked into Julius’ Bar and staged what would become known as a “sip-in” to challenge state liquor regulations on serving alcoholic beverages to gay men — with a drink.
Modeled after the sit-ins that challenged racial segregation across the American South, the protest was designed to confront discriminatory practices targeting LGBTQ patrons in public spaces.
At the time, the Mattachine Society — one of the country’s earliest gay rights groups — was actively pushing back against policies enforced by the New York State Liquor Authority. One of those policies could have resulted in the loss of liquor licenses for serving known or suspected gay men and lesbians. The participants had visited multiple establishments, openly identified themselves as homosexual, and requested a drink — with the anticipation of being denied.
Their final stop was Julius’, where reporters and a photographer had gathered to document the moment. When Leitsch declared their identity, the bartender covered their glasses and refused service, reportedly saying, “I think it’s against the law.” The next day, the New York Times ran a story with the headline, “3 Deviates Invite Exclusion by Bars,” cementing the moment in the public record.
Though initially framed with disrespect — the term “sip-in” itself was coined as a play on civil rights protests — the action marked a turning point. It brought national attention to the systemic discrimination LGBTQ people faced and helped catalyze changes in how liquor laws were enforced. In the years that followed, the protest contributed to the emergence of licensed, more openly gay-friendly bars, which became central social and organizing spaces for LGBTQ communities.
The Washington Blade originally covered when the bar was officially added to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
Today, historians and advocates increasingly recognize the “sip-in” as a key pre-Stonewall milestone. According to the New York City LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, the protest not only increased visibility of the early LGBTQ rights movement but also exposed widespread surveillance and entrapment tactics used against the community.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the event, commemorations have taken place in New York and across the country. Reflecting on its enduring legacy, Amanda Davis, executive director of the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, spoke about the event.
“Julius’ Bar is a place you can visit and viscerally connect with history,” said Davis. “We’re thrilled to have solidarity locations across the country join us in commemorating the ‘sip-in’’s 60th anniversary and the queer community’s First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.”
For current stewards of the historic bar, the responsibility of preserving that legacy remains front of mind.
“It’s a privilege and a responsibility to be the steward of a place so important to American and LGBTQ history,” said current owner of Julius’ Bar, Helen Buford. “The events of the 1966 Sip-In here at Julius’ resonated across the country and inspired countless others to stand proud for their rights.”
The timing couldn’t have come at a more important moment, Kymn Goldstein, executive director of the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives, explained.
“At a time when our community faces renewed challenges, coming together in resilience and solidarity reminds us of the power in our collective resistance,” Goldstein said.
The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization dedicated to defending rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, is currently tracking 519 anti-LGBTQ bills across the U.S. The majority are targeted at restricting transgender rights — particularly related to gender-affirming care, sports participation, and the use of public bathrooms.
Some additional groups and bars that held their own “sip-in” as solidarity events to uplift this historic milestone are from across the country include:
Alice Austen House at Steiny’s Pub, Staten Island, N.Y.
Bellows Falls Pride Committee at PK’s Irish Pub, Bellows Falls, Vt.
Brick Road Coffee, Mesa, Ariz.
Brick Road Coffee, Tempe, Ariz.
Dick Leitsch’s Family at Old Louisville Brewery, Louisville, Ky.
The Faerie Playhouse & LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana at Le Cabaret, New Orleans
Harlem Pride & John Reddick at L’Artista Italian Kitchen & Bar, New York
JOYR!DE KiKi at Loafers Cocktail Bar, New York
Matthew Lawrence & Jason Tranchida / Headmaster at Deadbeats Bar, Providence, R.I.
Mazer Lesbian Archives at Alana’s Coffee, Los Angeles
New Hope Celebrates at The Club Room, New Hope, Pa.
Queer Memory Project at the University of Evansville Multicultural Student Commons / Ridgway University Center, Evansville, Ind.
Sandy Jack’s Bar, Brooklyn, N.Y.
St. Louis LGBT History Project at Just John Club, St. Louis
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch was held at Salamander Washington DC on Sunday, April 19. Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) was presented with the Allyship Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The umbrella LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C. held its annual Night of Champions Gala at the Georgetown Marriott on Saturday, April 18. Team D.C. presented scholarships to local student athletes and presented awards to Adam Peck, Manuel Montelongo (a.k.a. Mari Con Carne), Dr. Sara Varghai, Dan Martin and the Centaur Motorcycle Club. Sean Bartel was posthumously honored with the Most Valuable Person Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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