410 Forum — Opinion
Shock And Awe: 'Oh! Calcutta!' Left Mark On Greeley
By Ron Boyle
The blending of nudity with family entertainment is not normally considered part of northern Colorado’s old-fashioned, small-town image. Almost 20 years ago the Greeley community both embraced and dismissed the idea with such success that it remained a contested topic in the Greeley Tribune for years, ultimately resulting in changes supposedly unrelated to the whole affair.
March 3, 1990 was a pivotal time in the dawning hours of the Union Colony Civic Center, a two year old city-owned auditorium. That tranquil Saturday evening was the day “Oh! Calcutta!” came to town. With 5,959 shows to its credit when the curtains were finally drawn, “Oh! Calcutta!” became known as the longest running play in Broadway history. In Greeley it was less discreetly referred to as the show that delved deep into sex-related topics and included three fully nude scenes.
You might say that the UCCC, named the crown jewel of northern Colorado when it opened, wandered from its mission “to cultivate, educate and entertain audiences of all ages and backgrounds through a wide range of visual and performing arts programs, events and activities.” To somebody, “Oh! Calcutta!” must have seemed like an original, enlightening form of family entertainment, but to the Greeley citizenry, it wasn’t a match made in heaven. Its showing was completely unjustified and not a good fit with the Greeley community.
Ronda Welsh, house manager of the UCCC at the time, remembers that the UCCC didn’t need to spend money on advertising. Letters focusing on moral condemnation flooded in months before the show arrived, but the controversy they stirred only piqued the curiosity of county residents. Greeley archive files dating from 1989 tell the community’s reaction in numerous articles. Headlines like “Americans Desensitized to Evil,” “Nudity in Play Attracts Voyeurs” and “Theatrical Halitosis Hits Civic Center” indicated that it was just as shocking for Greeley residents as it was in London and Paris 21 years earlier.
Businessmen, youth leaders and even a councilman, Ken Crumb, justifiably tried in earnest to prevent the show from performing. “Oh! Calcutta!” invited similar criticism in other towns. One town required performers to dress for the three nude scenes, but in Greeley, the script ran intact. Welsh distinctly recalls patrons coming to the show wearing disguises to protect their identity – from each other and the 90-plus protesters gathered in a candlelight vigil. Lines of protestors and veiled patrons clearly demonstrated that the show did not fit within community standards.
No official word of regret came from the fledgling theater, only a brief public announcement by Jill Rosentrater, cultural affairs director of the UCCC. Rosentrater said “Oh! Calcutta!” was neither a city-sponsored event, nor funded with tax dollars and could not be censored. Why allow “Oh! Calcutta!” to rent the UCCC in the first place? There was never any public mention of who was responsible or why it was seen to conform to the UCCC’s mission.
In an act of remarkable irony, the UCCC formed an advisory board to “provide insight on current performances and suggestions for future events” just 17 days after “Oh! Calcutta!” was shown. It consisted of a diverse selection of community members and allowed the public to have a voice in the operations of the center. Was this an intended solution to a recent problem or merely a coincidence? The actions of the UCCC and later of the Greeley government amounted to a thinly veiled form of censorship.
In the wake of news clippings that referenced “Oh! Calcutta!,” Greeley responded. Two years after the play and countless mentions of connections between pornography and “Oh! Calcutta!,” Greeley instituted an anti-porn law that was supposedly unrelated to the affair. The law aimed at preventing adult businesses with a substantial inventory of porn from doing business outside of industrial zones. It was a measured response to the experiences and public discussion that “Oh! Calcutta!” continued to perpetuate within the community.
When “Oh! Calcutta!” came to the Union Colony Civic Center, the erotic show opened the eyes of the community and the UCCC. Though no legislation has been enacted that directly prevents such a play again, the UCCC seems to recognize how the shows it presents must fit within community standards.
