Q + A: Susan Anton

By Jerry Fink

Monday, Nov. 28, 2005 | 9:03 a.m.

When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9-11

Where: Suncoast Showroom

Tickets: $39.95

Information: 636-7075

Who: Susan Anton in "Hairspray"

When: Feb. 6-14, 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Beginning Feb. 17, 7 p.m. Mondays and Fridays; 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Dark Wednesdays.

Where: Luxor Theater

Tickets: $55 (preview performances Feb. 6-14); $71.50 (mezzanine); $93.50 (main floor).

Information: 262-4900

Susan Anton isn't one to relax.

The 6-foot actress, singer and dancer will be among those performing in "A Night to Honor Our Armed Forces" at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Cashman Theater.

More than 100 local service personnel and their families have been invited to the event.

She stars in her annual Christmas show, to be held Dec. 9-11 at the Suncoast.

And on Feb. 6 she will be in the cast of "Hairspray," the Las Vegas version of the Tony Award-winning Broadway play that is coming to the Luxor. Anton will play the role of Velma Von Tussel, producer of a teen dance television show.

Tell us about "Hairspray." The whole town is talking about the musical.

Harvey Fierstein (who played Edna Turnblad in the Broadway production) is coming out to appear in the Las Vegas version. So is Dick Latessa (Wilbur Turnblad).

Who do you portray in the show?

I'm Velma, a wicked stepmother, although I like to think I'm not a villainess, just someone with a little darkness in their personality.

I will be wearing clothes from the '60s and I'll have big hair and I will be politically incorrect about everything.

That's casting against type, isn't it?

Yes, it is against type and I'm so excited about it. Ever since I reached my 50s I've had a lot more permission to do things I couldn't do before. I was always the young, pretty ingenue. It's so much more fun to be big and brassy with no holds barred.

How did you get involved in the production?

I was contacted by some casting people to meet with producers. I auditioned like everyone else. I found out a week later I had the role.

I wanted to get back on Broadway, but that's all the way in New York. My home is here. I'm in Los Angeles a lot. I was delighted that I could be in a Broadway play here at home.

How long do you plan to be in the show?

I'm committed to six months, with an option. Maybe I will stay with it a year. Hopefully it will be successful. I like to think it will be.

Can Broadway make it on the Strip?

Las Vegas has become home to lot of great Broadway productions ("Avenue Q" at Wynn Las Vegas; coming soon, "Phantom of the Opera" at the Venetian and "Spamalot," also at Wynn).

You do have to be careful about the production you bring in. I can't see dramas having a place on the Strip. Audiences here have so many things to fill the brief amount of time they're here. Big, splashy, fun musicals have a much better chance of succeeding.

It was smart of them to bring in the 90 minute version of "Hairspray." That caters to the Vegas scene.

It should be a wonderful fit. Vegas has the ability to present things better than anywhere else.

Are you in rehearsals now?

We start rehearsal a couple of days after Christmas.

You aren't a stranger to big productions.

I was with the "Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular" at the Flamingo from 1994 until 2000. I was thinking I would be doing it for a year, but seven years later the show was still kicking around.

Tell us about the upcoming Christmas show.

This will be my third year of doing it at the Suncoast. Prior to that I did it in Atlantic City.

Is it basically the same show each year?

No. It's always different. Elements of it might repeat, but overall it's always fresh -- it always surprises even me.

How would you describe the show?

I'm really trying to design the show like a big living room and I'm inviting everyone over to my house for Christmas dinner where I will share stories and songs. There will be a lot of intimacy, but also some big, wonderful musical numbers.

Is it a one-person show?

Just me and my band, my musical family. Most of my band have been with me for 25 or 30 years. These guys are my family. They are the supporting players. They're every bit as important as I am. We operate as a unit. Their personality and artistry shines through.