‘Anton in Show Business’ roasts the theater at OCC

Tom Titus

In a classic example of biting the hand that’s been feeding her,

playwright Jane Martin has come up with a viciously comical attack on

the theater itself with her satirical broadside “Anton in Show

Business.”

Orange Coast College has mounted the local premiere of this

outlandish comedy, which manages to stick it to Broadway, as well as

off-Broadway, regional theater and television with fiendish relish.

The characters -- caricatures, really -- are drawn with a brush broad

enough to paint the sets for “War and Peace.”

In a twist on the custom of the olden days in theater, when female

characters would be played by male actors, Martin’s didactic

bloodbath has reversed the process, with women populating a number of

men’s roles. In fact, there isn’t a male body on the OCC stage --

even in the role of a Texas folk singer who has a heated overnight

affair with one of the three principal actresses.

“Anton in Show Business” revolves around the planned production of

Anton Chekhov’s “The Three Sisters” by a regional theater in San

Antonio. Naturally, the trio of ladies who land the principal roles

are a highly contrasted lot -- a TV actress with considerable clout,

a veteran actress who has more than 200 productions (and no salary)

to her credit and a ditsy, virginal third-grade teacher who murmurs

“forgive me, Jesus” after every mildly off-color remark.

Astonishingly, these three disparate personalities mesh as allies,

joined in battle against the myriad forces which threaten the success

of their project. And, under the gleeful directorial hand of John

Ferzacca, these forces emerge with a richly outrageous sardonic bite,

from the passionate producer to the dispassionate financier. Even the

local critic comes in for a backhanded swat.

Joni Ross enacts the TV star Holly with an earthy fervor and

liberal exercising of power, cavalierly dismissing directors whose

concepts clash with her own. Jessica Kelly is charmingly naive as the

chirping ex-schoolteacher, while Alison Hartson plays the hardened

serious actress with balancing quantities of acid tongue and

reluctant tenderness.

A standout in the supporting ranks is Carrie McKinney as Kate, the

show’s emotionally involved producer. Laura Viramontes impresses as

the tough-talking stage manager and narrator. Katie Hall goes all out

in her interpretation of a shuffling, Chekhovian director with a bit

of madness in her Method, while Hanalena Schwartz represents the

chilly business side of the theater-financing operation.

Breaking the fourth wall, shattering it really, is Shea Smillie as

Joby, who’s in the audience reviewing the show (Martin’s “Anton,” not

Chekhov’s “Three Sisters”) for a publication resembling the

Pennysaver, and who frequently interrupts the action to question the

characters’ motivation. It’s an entertaining gimmick that ultimately

loses a bit of steam at the end.

“Anton in Show Business” is less a comedy about the theater than a

series of acid-tipped arrows thrust at various aspects of the craft,

most of which hit home deliciously while others fall a bit flat.

Director Ferzacca succeeds in sustaining interest and establishing

some splendid characterizations in his company of caricatures.

Theater people should get a tremendous kick out of the OCC

production, while those not involved with the stage may wonder just

what all the fuss about. Either way, “Anton” is a different, somewhat

jaded approach to the art of show business.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His

reviews appear Thursdays and Saturdays.