Defiance: Doc Holliday's Last Stand

The town of Defiance, renamed Glenwood Springs in 1884, was the rough mining town where Doc Holliday spent his last days. For author and composer Ken Crow, the original name captures the grit, resilience, and restless spirit that defined Holliday’s life and legacy. Holliday is remembered as a quick‐draw gunfighter and master gambler, yet his story began far from the saloons of the West. A well‐educated Southern dentist, he had to abandon his profession after contracting tuberculosis and turned to gambling to survive. His travels through Texas, Colorado, and Arizona eventually led him to stand with Wyatt Earp in the famed Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, a thirty‐second clash that became one of the most iconic moments in Western history. Much of Holliday’s legend endures through Earp’s recollections, which shaped the stories and films that followed. A Story Told Through Memory, Fever, and Reckoning Defiance depicts Holliday’s lucidity and delirium as he confronts the choices that shaped his turbulent life. Fevered visions bring him face‐to‐face with the people who defined his journey. Finally, the Angel of Death challenges Doc to one final game of chance—one with stakes far greater than any he faced at a card table. According to lore, Doc Holliday looked down at his bare feet—astonished to be dying in bed rather than in a gunfight—and uttered his wry final words: “This is funny.” Defiance channels that same blend of irony, grit, and humanity through a story about legacy, redemption, and the echoes we leave behind. The story unfolds through several of Crow’s musical compositions, including “Come Away with Me” and the high‐spirited “Can‐Can,” brought to life through dynamic choreography and a troupe of dancers. Atomic welcomes a standout ensemble for this production, featuring the talents of Tracy Hoang, Rebecca Juranek, and Julietta Rozin in their first performances with the company. They join returning actors Tobie Bonahoom, Braden Nash, Dustin Carlson, Deletta Hartkopp, and Tara Hedberg, whose dramatic range and musical expertise bring depth and vitality to this period piece. The Atomic Theatre Band provides live accompaniment for the original score, adding richness and authenticity to the show’s Western atmosphere. This production is Atomic’s second at the Wheat Ridge Center for Arts and Music, an exciting new cultural venue in the heart of Wheat Ridge.

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3613445-0

Booking: https://go.evvnt.com/3613445-2

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