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 “Allo?”
The voice that answers the phone sounds more like that of
a French maid as opposed to that of Susan Anton. Hearing puzzlement
on the other end, suddenly the person on the line breaks into
laughter.
“When you’ve been in a show acting all the time,
you never know who is going to come to the phone,” she
quips.
Humor aside, in reality this is one woman who knows exactly
who she is. Even allowing for the fact that she recently had
been “All Shook Up,” touring the country in a
musical book show of that name, it is Anton herself who is
answering the call – and in more ways than one. Though
she may have been back on the road, hopping from city to city
in her performing life, in her personal life, she has had
her feet firmly planted on the ground, following the spiritual
path. For her, everything she does on her life’s journey
is an opportunity to be in service to her fellow man -- including
her supporting role in the play.
 “There’s
a gift in everything and while the road is challenging because
there are airlines, lines and discomfort because you’re
not at home, this was an opportunity, first of all, for me
to be grateful for the job and for the chance to learn something
new,” says Anton, who concluded her tour in mid-August
and will be performing at the Suncoast October 19-21..“The
last time I did this was 11 years ago. Secondly, it was about
being humble, not about being in the spotlight and getting
all the attention. It was about being in service to the play
and to your fellow cast mates and about taking all that old
stuff from the past about whatever “star” is about
and hanging it up – it’s over, put it away and
put on the uniform of service.”
It’s her stage performing “hat” that Anton
will be putting on at the Suncoast in a show that will be
celebrating life. She has always held to the theory that it’s
never too late to do what you want to do and at 57, she knows
what she’s talking about. A short few years ago, the
entertainer didn’t have a lot of jobs and made up her
mind that she was just going to be off from work. She reveals
that it wasn’t because she could financially afford
to do it but rather because her spirit was crushed.
 “I
wasn’t doing what I love to do from a place of self-expression,”
she admits. “I was in survival, paying the bills, keeping
the machine going. I finally had to stop the machine because
the machine had taken over. I got reconnected to the gift
God gave me – my joy of singing – by raising my
voice in church. It wasn’t about the reviews, the paychecks
or what I was wearing; it was about sharing the gift from
a place of absolute authenticity, which is in all of us.
“Ironically, as I got reconnected to that, work started
to come along. I haven’t stopped working for the two-and-a-half
years. That’s pretty amazing for someone my age. I believe
that the more time we spend focusing on that peaceful place
and joy inside of ourselves, the freer we are to serve ourselves
and mankind. God has redirected me back to my truth and I
just keep getting more and more involved in my faith.”
Anton notes that she has learned a lot about herself over
this plentiful period, especially during her 2005 run in “Hairspray”
at the Luxor, That was her first experience in not being the
lead actress in a show and she says that she really had to
check her ego and vanity at the door. It was not a glamour
role and while the part she played in “All Shook Up”
was, she now finds herself anticipating non-glam parts that
give her the opportunity to stretch herself creatively.
“I love roles that play down physical looks and wish
I had more opportunity to do those,” Anton says. “It’s
kind of a rite of passage as you get older. That’s where
the really good stuff, the worthwhile roles, are and I’m
looking forward to stepping into them because they are so
liberating. It’s hard work getting all the glamorous
stuff together.”
With her spiritual and mental well-being being key to her,
she tries to read the Bible every day and she and her husband,
Jeff Lester, who owns Big Picture Studios in Las Vegas, have
constant communication regarding their spiritual work. They
are currently reading out loud to each other Rick Warren’s
“A Purpose Driven Life” for the fourth time and
getting more and more out of it. To Anton, who didn’t
marry until she was in her early 40’s, her relationship
with Lester is a strong one because they have made a commitment
to making it that way – their marriage always comes
first.
“Jeff’s well-being, dreams and aspirations mean
more to me than my own and visa versa where he is concerned,”
she acknowledges. “We’re looking out for each
other’s best interests and we can coach each other in
certain situations. I lead with my heart; I’m more impulsive.
Jeff’s more organized and practical in his thinking.
Sometimes we switch roles but we listen to each other. We’re
each other’s best coach, ally and friend.”
“I grew a lot before I met Jeff,” she continues.
“And we both have grown together. We’re not co-dependent
although what we have together is very powerful. But we both
know that we’d be all right if either of us was alone.”
Again, it is her faith that carries her through the rough
spots and Anton notes that turning things over to a higher
power has also allowed her to let her hair down and be more
creative. She says that it has freed her to find her true
self, her own unique voice, instead of competing with what’s
already in existence.
“I believe that God made us all incredibly unique,”
she sums up. “There is no one else in the world like
you or exactly like me. He gave us all a desire in our hearts
and places where we are connected to our expression, whether
it be writing, singing, building a house or baking a cake.
We all have those moments when we feel connected to our truths,
when everything feels right.”
In Anton’s book, during the holidays as well as every
other time of the year, the excitement of life comes from
turning over a new leaf.
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ADDITIONAL
ARTICLES
BY
BOBBIE KATZ
HERE |
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