THEATER REVIEW: Awful ‘Anton’
Imagine a sitcom. Any sitcom (I’m sure three-fourths of you are now agonizing over the last installment of “Friends”). Now picture for a moment that same sitcom played on stage, only with a little more seriousness, a little more sex, and a little less appeal, and you might have a picture of “Anton in Show Business.”
In the wake of such theatrical triumphs as “Noises Off” (a hilarious theatrical farce) and “A Chorus Line” (A musical look into the casting process), “Anton in Show Business”, tries to deliver the audience a look into the world of theater, poking a little fun along the way. It ended up delivering a somewhat sloppy glance into what theater might be were it peopled by village idiots and fools.
Now let me say from the get-go that the quality of the play should be divided into two parts: the acting, and the material. I have nothing but admiration for this cast of seven women who pulled off a theatrical feat akin to swimming the English channel, but if you give a pile of crap to some builders and they build the most beautiful building in the world, the building still stinks.
“Anton in Show Business” was written by Jane Martin and published in March 2000. “Anton” is really a “play-within-a-play”that follows the production of Anton Chekov’s masterpiece, “The Three Sisters” (the play is regarded by some critics as the best drama of the 20th century). Starting at day one, we are introduced to the play by Autumn Sargent who steps onto the scene as T-Anne, the stage manager, who informs us about the personal lives of the three principal actresses (from their place of birth right on down to a yeast infection irritating an actress named Casey, played by Jackie Campbell.)
As the play progresses, we get to know the ditsy Lisabette, played by Jessie Kassow, who is a pseudo-religious naïve teacher trying to make a break onto Broadway, and the less-than-ethical T.V. sex star Holly, played by Melissa Thoreson, who is in the play so she can land a few roles in Hollywood.
“Chekhov, Shakespeare-that stuff gets you respect,” Holly explains. “Then you’re a classic actress with really great breasts.”
That reference to breasts, was just a beginning. It’s not many plays that have to warn their audience that it’s themes “may be offensive to some audiences.” With topics such as casual sex, adultery (to satisfy a bet), various words for breasts, periods, sexual orientation, and pornography, ‘Anton’ leaves even the most liberal sailor longing for the end. At moments, this serio-comedy attempts to show its serious side, grappling issues such as cancer, tobacco companies, and abortion, but falls a little short (humor can be a great way to heal, but jokes about cancer hit a little close to home). Probably the most interesting part of the affair was the character Joby, played by Jessica Dilley, who spent the evening shouting from a seat in the audience. Playing a theatrical critic attending the show on a comp ticket, Joby begins by asking if the theater was really a topic fit for the stage, and ends by noting that the acting wasn’t really too bad (no, it was excellent).
Anton demands that at least three actors double as more than one character in the play (with seven actors and thirteen parts, it’s not hard to do the math), and every one of them stepped up to the challenge. According to Michael Wise, associate artistic director of the American Southwest Theatre Company, the backstage was “costume change hell,” requiring six people backstage to assist the actresses, who must make complete costume changes in as little as 42 seconds.
The actresses in Thursday’s all female cast pulled off a theatrical feat, but it wasn’t enough to save the play. All in all, the evening might have been better spent curling.
Matt Wright is a junior majoring in English literature. Comments can be e-mailed to him at mattgo@cc.usu.edu