Mountain Shack Theater Alaska

Not a "rih-pawf"

Anyone who enjoyed "Mystery Science Theater 3000" should have a good time at a "Mountain Shack Theater Alaska" show.

Inspired by MST-3K, the Mountain Shack Theater show is a live screening of 'less than good,' ok, 'very bad,' movies that take place in the early days of Alaska.

Founder and director Mark Robokoff points out that Mountain Shack Theater is "intended as an homage, pronounced oh-mazh, as opposed to rih-pawf" to MST-3K.

(And if that last bit is your kind of humor, then Mountain Shack is for you.)

Just like with the MST-3K robots, Mountain Shack Theater provides a live running commentary that makes fun of (enhances) the movie. Instead of robots, the commentators include a grizzly bear, moose, raven, and "Average Guy Steve," who is played by Robokoff.

Other cast members include Schatzie Schaefers, Rodney Lamb, Tim Tucker, Morgan Mitchell, and Jamie Nelson. Some also contribute as writers, as does Dawson Moore, who is coordinator for the renowned annual Last Frontier Theater Conference in Valdez, Alaska.

We recently attended a screening of the 1947 salmon-noir stinker, "Spoilers Of The North," and had a great time. The show included a 1950's U.S. Army Signal Corps serial, as well as a great (meaning, awful) music video.

Performances are the first and third weekend of each month, Friday and Saturday at 9:00pm, at the Alaska Wild Berry Theater in Anchorage. There is an intermission, and beer and wine are for sale and allowed inside the theater.