SOMETHING IN HIS GENE
Richard Scaffidi
Show Guide - Backstage.com
10/20/1999

Happily musing upon this Juliette Marshall comic monologue, one could say that it's a show which offers a lot of nothing: no set, no supporting cast, no costume changes, no anguished introspection, no horrific confessions, no burning social cause. Not even an intermission... Ah, but what does happen is that Marshall and director Mark W. Travis (a master of the solo genre) perform a little theatrical alchemy. They transform all those "negatives" into a thoroughly positive evening. In one fast and funny hour, the lovable and lively Marshall simply acts out for our amusement her colorful and happy true odyssey of falling in love when she least expected it. Bouncing freely about the stage (Marshall has a clear case of happy feet) and directly addressing the audience, it's like she's cheerfully insisting that we share in her joy, whimsy, and wonder. And for the most part we do, because even though the show is thematically scant, its lack of profundity is countered by its carefree heart and by the effervescence of its kooky star. Marshall's uninhibited physicality and her more subtle vocal skill combine to vividly depict the highly contrasting central characters in this romance, namely herself-hyperactive, emotionally volcanic, and a bit bratty-and her eventual husband, who is steady, indulgent, and apparently as mellow as a man can be without herbal assistance. They are truly attractive opposites, and a good bet to keep life fun, surprising, and satisfying-much like this charming play. And that's not nothing.

"SOMETHING IN HIS GENES," presented by TalentWave and Judy Arnold Productions at the Other Space at the Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 4th St., Santa Monica. Thurs. 8 p.m. Aug. 5-Nov. 18. $10. (323) 665-8587.

Second one-woman show chronicles actress' search for her true soul mate
Julio Martinez
Special to the Daily News
9/1/1999

As she flows onto the limited stage area of the minuscule Other Space at the Santa Monica Playhouse for "Something in His Genes," tall, blond Juliette Marshall exudes the calm, confident beauty and sensuality that is the stuff of men's dreams. Then, for the next hour Marshall obliterates the facade, revealing every aspect of the vulnerable little girl inside who must gather all her strengths, weaknesses, securi- ties and doubts into the budding courtship of the man who is to be her husband. Under Mark W.Travis' intuitive but light-handed staging, Marshall draws the audience into her like an intimate friend who could never betray her trust. It is a journey that seamlessly flows between outright hilarity and an almost embarrassingly personal level of intimacy and poignancy. Marshall's latest one-woman outing is a continuation of her previous show, the autobiographical "Something in Her Genes," also staged by Travis, which chronicled the coming-of-age of a Studio City-born and raised young woman who was compelled to explain the complex history of her life with men as if that was the only way to come to terms with it herself. Now she has transferred her attention to "his genes," unveiling, layer by layer, the history of a romance. Marshall's humor and her pathos come from her innate curiosity about how people behave with one another. With an almost disconcerting honesty of perception, Marshall makes the audience understand and empathize with the rocky road she traveled to be able to unite with this man as his life partner. At one point in her narrative, Marshall displays her ability to be flat-out hilarious while revealing the moment-by-moment details of her first night in bed with the man. The fact that she was leveled by some "bad food and a lot of alcohol," only to wake up naked with him in her bed, is told with such matter-of-fact directness and exquisite comic timing, it is only after the fact one realizes Marshall was in a state of terrified helplessness at that moment. Due to the loose narrative structure of this show, one has the sense it is constantly evolving. But Marshall certainly knows how to leave an audience wanting more. It would be interesting to get her perspective on how the marriage and parenthood (she and her husband have a 3-year-old child) have fared. Maybe her next show should be, "Something in Our Genes"?

RAVES FOR JULIETTE MARSHALL'S PREVIOUS SHOW, SOMETHING IN HER GENES.

"This is a hoot! Juliette Marshall's one-woman show is, like her, funny, facile, bright and attractive." Drama Logue "

...a vivacious young actress wth an endeaning onstage persona and considerable natural charisma...Director Mark W. Travis' production is briskly paced and has a youthful, jazzy feel...Adroit comic timing..." - LA Weekly "

...a beautiful, super-energetic, extremely likable and very talented performer. She connects immediately with her audience." - NightLife -

...lnfectious energy, good comic timing and gleeful stage presence." Buzz Weekly