Another undiscovered gem to play at OCC

Tom Titus

It should come as no surprise that Orange Coast College and

director John Ferzacca are preparing to lift the curtain on a play no

one in this part of the world has seen before, and one that few have

even heard about.

Ferzacca has been discovering little-known scripts for years and

turning them into memorable productions, such as “North Shore Fish,”

“The Mineola Twins,” “The Memory of Water,” “Epic Proportions” and

“Approximating Mother.” And that’s just in recent years -- Ferzacca

has been teaching and directing at OCC since 1970.

His latest find, opening tonight, is a comedy titled “Anton in

Show Business,” the “Anton” in this case being the Russian playwright

Chekhov.

Chekhov is not a character in the story -- the play centers on

three mismatched actresses trying to pull off a production of “The

Three Sisters” at a theater in San Antonio, Texas. “Anton in Show

Business” was written by Jane Martin, who was also represented in

OCC’s last offering, “Jack and Jill,” a few weeks ago.

Playwright Martin is reclusive to the point that she’d make J.D.

Salinger seem like an exhibitionist. Labeled America’s best-known

unknown playwright, Martin apparently hails from Kentucky and has

written several plays over the past decade. But she’s never made a

public appearance or spoken of her works on the record. She’s never

granted an interview, no photos of her have been published and

there’s no biographical information. Critics widely speculate that

her name is a pseudonym.

Be that as it may, she’s highly successful at writing plays.

“Anton in Show Business” won the 2001 American Theater Critics Award

for “best new play.”

It’s a backstage comedy with a cast of 15, all female. The story

revolves around the three actresses -- a glamorous television star, a

local third-grade teacher and a seasoned off-off-Broadway actress

who’s been in more than 200 productions and has yet to receive a

paycheck.

“The play is very funny,” Ferzacca declares. “Directors get fired,

the producer is inept, the girls can’t act and the audience keeps

interrupting the production. The play provides a hilarious look at

all that’s wrong and right with American theater.”

Martin’s script pokes fun at corporate sponsors, incompetent

producers, small-time critics and self-important directors.

Ferzacca’s cast will feature Jonie Ross, a professional singer who

starred in his last show, “Side Man”; Jessica Kelly, who’s taking her

first role in an OCC production, and Alison Hartson, a member of

OCC’s national championship speech team who starred in the college’s

production of “Epic Proportions.”

Other cast members are Laura Viramontes, Shea Smillie, Carrie

McKinney, Katie Hall, Becky Muheleman, Sandra Barrera, Lu Schwartz,

Katrina Notick, Lynne Mitchell, Kara Gallemore, Vanessa Nguyen and

Gretchen Hudson.

“It’s a most original comedy, both in form as well as content,”

Ferzacca says. “It’s an original laugh riot that demonstrates just

how plays do and don’t get done.”

* TOM TITUS writes about and reviews local theater for the Daily

Pilot. His reviews appear Thursdays and Saturdays.