“Embrace the absurd, revel in nostalgia and ... believe in the power of art.”
Emily Van Fleet, the new artistic director of Creede Repertory Theatre, invites playgoers to the company’s 60th anniversary season – and bring your imagination.
If you go
WHAT: Creede Repertory Theatre stages “Xanadu,” “The 39 Steps,” “The Fantasticks” and “Silent Sky.”
WHEN: In repertory through Sept. 20.
WHERE: 124 North Main St., Creede.
TICKETS: Single tickets start at $25 adults; students $20; $2 senior discount, prices vary by location. $3 service charge per ticket. Flex passes available.
MORE INFORMATION: Call (719) 658-2540 or www.creederep.org.
An award-winning actor, vocal coach and director with deep roots in Colorado theater, Van Fleet hails from Denver but has been part of CRT for 13 years. Most memorably, she headlined “Always… Patsy Cline” in 2022. Now, she helms a company that over six decades has transitioned from a small group of college players to a professional repertory troupe.
All of CRT’s major works are up and running now. If you plan wisely, you can see four productions in two days bracketed by a gorgeous mountain drive to and from Durango.
On offer in 2025 are two musicals, a smart British mystery and a taut rendering of a new America play.
“Xanadu,” the rousing dance-musical based on the 1980s disco film of the same title, roller skates through a quirky plot linked to Greek mythology. It’s definitely family fair. Director Van Fleet and her technical team serve the cream-puff musical well by splashing an arched-forum set with astonishing light and sound projections. A gifted cast of mortals and muses transport between the heights of Mount Olympus and the grit of urban America. With a reliable recorded score, big voices and hyped sound design, the amplification may be overwhelming for some, energizing for others.
“The 39 Steps,” an apparent CRT favorite, last appeared on the Mainstage in 2010. It’s back and better in a very smart new production in the round. Credit Director Christy Montour-Larson and a splendid cast for bringing this classic to new life. Four actors portray 150 characters. Cam Davis’ charming Richard Hannay begins in eyebrow-raising British boredom, but soon he’s entangled in quirky, nonstop high-stakes dilemmas. Ably companioned by Olivia Howell’s array of female characters, Hannay’s troubles are further complicated by thousands, portrayed by the quicksilver comedy duo Katie Rodriguez and Logan Ernstthal. Together, they create a multitude of British and Scottish luminaries.
In American theater history, “The Fantasticks” is known as the little show that wouldn’t die. It opened off Broadway in 1960 and ran for an astonishing 17,162 performances before closing in 2002. Creede loves it and has mounted it four times – 1969, 1978, 2002 and 2025. If you haven’t seen this telling bit of musical theater history, now’s your chance.
The story is simple: sifting a boy-girl fable through Greek and Shakespearean tropes into a contemporary round of love found, lost and regained. What gives the work its ’60s vibe is the music – two songs you will definitely recognize – and the contrasting two-act structure. Act I is a Neo-Romantic, happy-ending love story. Act II is a cataclysmic downward spiral and a parable for our time. Thank the 1960s.
And thank Director Kate Gleason and her cast for giving this museum piece a fresh interpretation. The work itself lags in spots because of hefty exposition. Today’s fast-paced standards would truncate many scenes and speed up a leisurely pace. But overall, it’s a stylish period piece, and the music is evergreen.
“Silent Sky,” a new play by Lauren Gunderson, provides dramatic ballast to CRT’s season. Directed by Tara Falk, the work reveals the human drama behind one of the most important discoveries in modern astronomy. By illuminating the life of Radcliffe-Harvard scientist Henrietta Leavitt, the playwright dramatizes the work/life balance that continues to haunt us.
In a tightly written script, Gunderson underscores the personal and professional conflicts Leavitt faces. A sterling cast illuminates dedication, human warmth and surprising levity. And CRT’s technical team raises the stakes by introducing breathtaking splashes of the cosmos. The play’s brilliant resolution will linger long after “Silent Sky” goes dark.
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
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