FORT COLLINS — For some, theater in an empty downtown storefront qualifies as an off-the beaten-path new adventure. But for all who toil in the theater trade, “Anton in Show Business” will hit ’em right where they live.
Where it hurts.
“Anton” is a chippy spoof on the frustrations of making nonprofit theater. It’s written by a man, using the nom de plume “Jane Martin,” who’s working out a lifetime of industry issues here. Christopher Guest, he is not.
It’s presented by “openstage etc.” — the hipster adjunct of Fort Collins’ 37-year-old OpenStage. The “etc.” brand lets the company dabble in environmental and cutting-edge plays it would never dare risk putting on the mainstage. Which is one of the points of the play. The big boys can afford to take very few chances.
It’s all very casual in the dilapidated storefront off College Avenue when six jovial women walk through to greet you — until one breaks off with the proclamation, “The American theater is in a (bleep)load of trouble.”
A comic diatribe follows, ranting on everything from the safe pabulum of Broadway to the nastiness of “David (bleeping) Mamet” to the slow disintegration of America’s regional theaters.
Then, to demonstrate their point, these good-natured women put on a fairly antagonistic play within the play: A doomed production of “The Three Sisters” in San Antonio (which I think would have made “Anton in Antonio” a far better title).
It loosely parallels Chekhov’s classic. The actors who get cast to play the sisters are a naïve young Texas newbie named Lisabette (Christine Sharpe); jaded middle-ager Casey, who’s done 200 off-Broadway plays without yet having been paid (Heather Lawrence); and a Tracy Lords-inspired soft-porn TV star named Holly (Amanda Clark) — a young diva with the marquee value producers need to attract backers.
The satire that follows is a mash-up. It’s laced with insights into the creative process that will have frustrated artists in attendance nodding along. But its many derisive little bombs make it unclear whether “Martin” really has any love for the theater at all. That’s what gives the backstage TV series “Slings & Arrows” its enormous heart. And makes “Anton” mostly seem as crass as, well, David (bleeping) Mamet.
Martin goes after the corporate hypocrites who fund much of America’s theater. And the ego of actors and the arrogance of directors. He skewers the system that rewards the most mediocre among them. He dresses down a pretentious, interrupting critic (for a shopper’s guide) who cries foul when sentimentality begins to creep in.
But Martin never takes sides. So it’s never clear whether “Anton” is an act of industry sabotage — or a cry for help.
Director Tracy Salter’s “etc.” cast, a mix of company veterans and newcomers, seems unsure, too. While they are all wholly committed to their cause, their own struggle with tone makes the evening come off as “theater with attitude” — but not enough confidence.
It all comes off a bit like a line from the show: an exercise in beating a dead horse — from the inside.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Anton in Show Business” ** (out of four stars)
Satire. Presented by openstage etc. at 140 W. Mountain Ave., Fort Collins. Written by Jane Martin. Directed by Tracy Salter. Through Oct. 18. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. $14. 970-484-5237 or
This weekend’s theater openings
“Afghanistan in the Age of the Flowers” This original drama chronicles the plight of the women of Afghanistan since World War II to the present. Through Oct. 31. Presented by the Mercury Motley Players at the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California St., 303-294-9258 or
“Halloween Dreams” Gram Doobie and her grandchildren celebrate Halloween all month. But this year there’s a murderer on the loose. A family-friendly thriller. Through Oct. 31. Vintage Theatre, 2119 E. 17th Ave., 303-839-1361 or
“Heads” Contemporary hostage drama by E.M. Lewis in which a British embassy worker, an American engineer, a network journalist and a freelance photographer must decide what each is willing to do to survive. Performs Tuesdays through Thursdays only. Through Oct. 29. Presented by And Toto Too Theatre at the Victorian Playhouse, 4201 Hooker St., 720-280-7058, or
“Invisible Voices: New Perspectives on Disability” The New York theater company comes to Colorado Springs to weave the stories of six local Colorado Springs disabled residents on the stage. Presented by Ping Cong & Company at TheatreWorks’ Bon Vivant Theatre, 3955 Cragwood Drive on the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs campus. Call 719-262-3232 or go to for exact schedule.
“The Lost Soul of Cripple Creek” This adaptation of an 1867 Victorian melodrama tells the story of a poor Cripple Creek miner who journeys to Denver to reclaim his wife and have his vengeance on the villain who stole her. Through Oct. 31. Presented by the Thin Air Theatre at the Butte Theatre, 139 E. Bennett Ave., Cripple Creek, 719-235-8944 or
“Night of the Living Dead” George Romero’s 1968 Zombie thriller as it was never meant to be seen: Live and onstage. Seven people are trapped in a farmhouse surrounded by flesh-eating ghouls. Will any of them get out alive? Through Oct. 31. The Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St., 303-477-9984 or
“Rent” A modern musical about love, friendship and community in AIDS-era New York City. This is the first locally mounted production by any professional Colorado company. Mature subject and themes. Not recommended for under 13. Through Nov. 21. Carousel Dinner Theatre, 3509 S. Mason St., Fort Collins, 970-225-2555 or
“The Rocky Horror Show” On the way to visit an old college professor, two clean-cut youngsters, Brad Majors and fiancée Janet Weiss, run into trouble and seek help at the freaky Frankenstein mansion. Little do they know that the mansion is inhabited by alien transsexuals from the planet Transylvania and Dr. Frank N. Furter is in the midst of one of his maniacal experiments. Songs include “Time Warp.” Dress as your favorite character, but no props allowed. Through Oct. 31.
73rd Ave. Theatre Company, 7287 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, 720-276-6936 or
“Slut Energy Theory” Jazz singer Rene Marie uses songs and spoken-word essays to present her one-woman play about an elderly yet ageless woman whose harrowing life experiences have left her anything but speechless. Through Oct. 10. Presented by No Credit Productions at the Crossroads Theatre, 2590 Washington St., 303-832-0929 or
“Third” In this, the final play by Wendy Wasserstein, professor Laurie Jameson is disinclined to like the jockish, jingoistic attitude froma student named Woodson Bull III (but you can call him “Third”). He is, as she puts it, “a walking red state.” Believing that Third’s sophisticated essay on “King Lear.” could not possibly have been written by such a specimen, Jameson reports his plagiarism to the college’s Committee of Academic Standards. But is Jameson’s accusation justified? Or is she casting Third as the villain in her own struggle with her relationships, her age and the increasingly polarized political environment? Through Oct. 25. Lake Dillon Theatre Company, 176 Lake Dillon Dr., Dillon, 970-513-9386 or
“Where Did My People Go?” A religious choir piece written and produced by Connie Sauls Wilkins. Friday and Saturday only. Presented by Mile High Choir at Montbello High School, 5000 Crown Blvd., 303-371-6801.
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
