SHAKESPEARE MEETS THE WILD WEST WITH MARATHON COMMUNITY THEATRE’S ‘DESPERATE MEASURES’

Johnny Blood (Jacob Terpos, right) thinks his plot to fool the governor in bed with a body swap is brilliant. That is, of course, until he learns his lover Bella Rose (Alene Nelson) is the one who ‘took one for the team.’

Marathon Community Theatre’s newest main-stage show may be based on a Shakespearian plot – “Measure for Measure,” for those familiar. But instead of stilted early-1600s dialogue set in Austria, Peter Kellogg’s “Desperate Measures” winds the clocks forward nearly three centuries, shifts out to the Wild Wild West, and opens with a promise:

“We fixed up the words a lot, plus we threw out half the plot. The storyline was too complex, but we kept all the parts with sex.”

Indeed, it delivers.

When Johnny Blood (Jacob Terpos) finds himself next in line for the hangman’s noose after shooting a man in self-defense, he must beg his devout nun-in-training sister Susanna (Kara Pascucci) to implore the town’s austere Governor Von Richterhenkenpflichtgetruber (Jerry Nussenblatt) – yes, we spelled that right, we checked three times – to spare his life.

Surprisingly, the governor agrees, but only if Susanna will break her vow of chastity with him for one night. Enlisting the help of town Sheriff Martin Green (Steve Emmerling), Johnny and Susanna hatch a plan: Susanna isn’t ready to abandon her habit just yet, but saloon girl Bella Rose (Alene Nelson) has no qualms with taking off her clothes, especially if it’s to save her lover Johnny. All they need is a dark room to make the swap before the governor finds out…

Throw in a jailed priest obsessed with Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche who’s sloshed more often than not (John Schaefer), and the show has all the ingredients for comedic ridiculousness.

Although the cast pairs three longtime MCT veterans in Pascucci, Nussenblatt and Schaefer with three relative newcomers – two of whom will make their main-stage debut at the theater in “Desperate Measures” – the group boasts some of the MCT’s greatest collective vocal talent in recent memory. 

It’s not wasted, as David Friedman’s music has a number of earworms that will surely leave audience members humming for weeks. (Be on the lookout for “Just For You,” the Weekly’s editorial pick.)

And in taking on a musical with a script written in rhyming iambic pentameter, all six were in for a challenge as they began learning their lines. Even still, it’s an effort that’s paying dividends with opening night approaching.

“At first I thought, ‘Oh, this makes it so much harder,’” said Schaefer. “But now we’re to the point where once you know it, it helps.”

“You have to go word for word. You can’t paraphrase at all, because you could screw up the line or screw up the meter,” said Nussenblatt.

The production battled more than its fair share of changes since its first rehearsal, including a cast member switch and even a director swap. But to the last, the final cast and crew had nothing but glowing reviews for those who stepped in to fill roles and the others who accommodated them on accelerated production timelines.

“Steve came in late, having only done ‘Rocky Horror,’ and he’s just amazing,” Pascucci said. “It’s a huge role, and we’ve seen his confidence blossom.”

“We’ve given them direction, but they just come alive on stage,” said co-director Suzanne Terpos.

“This cast is always in their places before I call places,” added stage manager Diane Dashevsky. “They’re always willing to help out, and they’re a well-meshed cast.”

“I’m so glad I took the leap and agreed to co-direct this show,” said co-director Trish Hintze. “I was gifted a very talented cast who have made what I thought was a terrifying responsibility a source of pure joy.”

“Desperate Measures” runs at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from March 9-25 with a special 3 p.m. matinee on March 19. Tickets are $33 and are available at marathontheater.org or by calling 305-743-0994.

Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.