By Leila Einhorn | Dec 16, 2024
At Bas Bleu, a rockin’ production is a guaranteed good time
Walking into Airness, a play about the quirky world of competitive air guitar, I expected humor, levity and perhaps some dramatic headbanging — and the show certainly delivered on all of those fronts.
What I didn’t anticipate were playwright Chelsea Marcantel’s astute observations on friendship, passion and joy that elevated the absurd premise into a genuinely moving experience. Beneath the show’s playful exterior lies a heartfelt story about finding community and purpose in unexpected places. Airness, the latest production from Bas Bleu Theatre in Fort Collins, is a show brimming with surprising depth and emotional resonance that left the audience cheering for more.
The character Facebender, played with a gruff earnestness by Dan Muth, captures the story’s essence when he asks: “Life is a slow march into nothingness — why not be as silly as you want?” That philosophy echoes through the lives of the other lovable misfits at the center of the play: Shreddy Eddie (Austin Jackson), a goofy and charismatic everynerd; Golden Thunder (Jordan Hull), who believes she can change the world with the perfect simulated riff; the icy and cool Cannibal Queen (Trisha Gillin); reigning champion D Vicious (Miles Horne); and newcomer The Nina (Elisabeth Sells). As the audience surrogate, Sells brings a blend of skepticism and vulnerability to The Nina, drawing us into her journey from bemused outsider to full-fledged believer in the joyful absurdity of air guitar. Muth and Jackson give standout performances as well, with Muth’s powerful revelation of his character’s backstory forming the emotional apex of the play, and Jackson shredding his way into the audience’s hearts with energy, charm and some serious air guitar chops.
The sartorial delights of competitive air guitar
Overall, the cast delivers tight, energetic performances, feeding off each other’s chemistry and comedic timing with ease. The characters’ larger-than-life personalities are complemented by their eccentric and fun costumes, helmed by Costume Designer Zhanna Gurvich. This show has all the sartorial delights you’d expect from the world of competitive air guitar: capes, fishnets, feathers and glitter galore. Each costume serves as a colorful extension of the character it represents, amplifying their quirks and adding another layer of flair to the already dynamic performances. In addition, Set Designer Casey Kearns masterfully transforms Bas Bleu’s black box into a grungy dive bar, complete with beer ads, bottles and even a working tap. The set feels authentically lived-in; you can almost smell the stale beer on the floor.
With a show all about musical performance (yes, even fake musical performance), it’s essential that the sound and lighting design are both strong, and unfortunately this is where the production misses a beat. I wanted to feel fully immersed, as though I was at an actual live gig, and for me that requires two things: it’s got to be dark and loud.
The music was often too quiet, occasionally glitchy and lacking bass. To recreate the energy of a real air guitar competition, I would have cranked up the volume and added a subwoofer to bring that thumping, immersive sound. The lighting also kept us a little too aware of the other audience members, with the house lights never fully dimmed.
The subdued lighting and sound design may have been intended to make us feel like part of the onstage action, but it ended up having the opposite effect. In addition, when we first entered the theatre there was no music playing, and the ambiance felt oddly sterile. Starting the experience with a high-energy soundtrack would have set the right tone from the get-go, making the space have more of the electric buzz of a live gig.
The show also relies heavily on audience participation. Don’t worry — no one’s going to pull you on stage for your best air guitar performance. Instead, we’re simply encouraged to cheer, whoop and boo the performers. Fortunately, the audience was game, but a consistent crowd backtrack would have helped amplify the energy and really build the vibe. While a backtrack did make occasional appearances, its inconsistency left it unclear why it was included at certain moments and not others.
A guaranteed good time
Despite a few technical missteps, Airness still manages to rock out with an energy that’s hard to match, and it more than deserved its standing ovation. The show delivers a guaranteed good time, seamlessly blending silliness with remarkable poignancy and depth. As Golden Thunder puts it, “Mockery is the enemy of airness” — a reminder that the true spirit of air guitar is about embracing joy and authenticity, not ridicule. In a world that often feels divided and ready to tear us down, who couldn’t use the chance to let loose, live in the moment, and feel the carefree abandon of behaving like a kid again?
