A hundred years ago, when Russian playwright Anton Chekhov wrote The Three Sisters, one of his most famous plays, he would never have guessed that it would one day be the basis for an all-female satire on modern theatre. But then, (Mostly) Harmless Theatre prides itself on giving the audience the unexpected.
The local theatre company is currently presenting Jane Martin’s Anton in Show Business at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center for the first two weekends in October. The play follows an assortment of actors, directors and the ever-loyal producer as they try to put on an off-off-Broadway production of Chekhov’s The Three Sisters in San Antonio, Texas. The characters, from every background imaginable, share only their hopes for theatrical success. So it happens that a schoolteacher, an unemployed New York actress, and a soap opera diva are brought together to create an unlikely family and form the foundation for the production.
Chekhov’s play, set in rural Russian in the early 1900s, tells the story of three Russian sisters – Olga, Masha and Irina – who try to follow their dreams and return to Moscow after their father’s death but in the end resolve to live with what they have and stay where they are. It is a bittersweet story about life and the choices people are forced to make. Although Anton in Show Business is farcical in nature – it pokes fun at the entire theatrical process – it parallels Chekhov’s message, as the three actresses who play the sisters follow the same path to a touching finale. The similarity between the actresses’ personal lives and the script of the play they are performing are sometimes obvious even to them, and by acknowledging it the show loses any heavy-handedness it might have.
The Grandel Theatre’s small, cozy auditorium provided the perfect backdrop for Anton in Show Business. Its minimal set is very open, inviting the audience into the play and the lives of the women they are watching onstage-whether they are the sisters Olga, Masha and Irina or the actresses Casey, Lisabette and Holly. This approach definitely works for this play, drawing the entire audience into the story.
Anton in Show Business has some original elements, such as making the show a play-about-a-play-about-a-play. Confused? I was too; when halfway through the first act an audience member stood up and pointed out some of the play’s flaws to the actors onstage. The play halted as the actresses responded to this heckler. But not to worry, folks, it’s all part of the show. In fact, the heckler’s comments give the show a self-deprecating air that is thoroughly endearing.
But even with these touches of sardonic humor, the first act tended to drag. It moved at a slow place, centering on the pre-production phase of the play, with not much of the actual rehearsal process.
Nevertheless, in the tradition of Chekhov, Anton has plenty of shrewd dialogue, with a good mix of narrative-provided by various stagehands as they pull scenery on and off stage-dialogue, and monologue. Although the lines lack Chekhov’s inimitable verbal flair, the play does a good job of mimicking his overall style.
The entirely female cast is quite talented, although not all were able to portray the play’s stereotypical characters in a believable light. Certain actresses really shined, like Elizabeth Watt, who played three characters in the show, all of them men. The three actress-sisters and their genuine onstage chemistry also create a dynamic presence.
Anton in Show Business succeeds in the playwright’s goal of adapting the main themes of Chekhov’s play and paralleling them in the modern setting. Each actress learns the hard way to accept her lot in life-and all the longing and loss that come with it-just as Olga, Irina and Masha learned so many years ago in rural Russia. But this moral is expanded to apply to all of modern theatre, and in so doing delivers an even more powerful message.
The bottom line? Anton in Show Business is worth seeing. It’s refreshing and quirky and unexpected. There are bumps along the way, but the experience deserves a solid B.

(Mostly) Harmless Theatre’s
Anton in Show Business

Where: The Grandel Theatre, located 3610 Grandel Square, in Grand Center

When: October 10-12 at 8 p.m. and October 13 at 2 p.m.

How much: Tickets are $17 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

For more information, call (314) 862-PLAY (7529). For tickets, call MetroTix at 314-534-1111.

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