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November 27, 2004
LoneStar LoveSeats
On Tuesday night I had the pleasure of taking 49 of my closest friends to the Opening Preview of "Lone Star Love: The Merry Wives of Windsor, Texas". The show is a musical based on Shakespeare's classic comedy set in Post-civil war Texas. The music was written by the Red Clay Ramblers. In the starring role of Falstaff is Texas-born Jay O Sanders who is most recently remembered as Dennis Quaid's (another Texas boy) side kick in "Day After Tomorrow". He was the one who cut the rope and fell in the icicle mall. (That scene was most likely doubly depressing for mom. The good buddy dies in an honorable move to save his friends and the mall has completely turned to ice! Don't worry Mom, it's just a movie! )
Another famous face in the show, playing Mr. Ford, is Gary Sandy of WKRP in Cincinnati fame.
The show was really good. The music by the Ramblers was great. I couldn't help from toe-tapping and patting my leg and pretending I was back home. It's kind of comforting to know that kind of down home music that was popular "back in the day" of post Civil War Texas hasn't lost any of it's charm in this modern day miasma of rap and formulaic rock that permeates mass radio. Jay as "Falstaff" was aptly plaid and hilarious. Jay has a real rapport with an audience and handled the many gaffes that occur on a preview Opening Night as if they were happy accidents that would be incorporated into future productions.
It's interesting to see an Opening Night Preview and this was my first since I've been in New York City. An audience member of an Opening Night Preview basically gets to see the production before anyone else outside of the production team. Previews exist so that shows can get their feet wet and figure out the sometimes many kinks in the show and get them out before they officially "Open" when the critics come to either lambast or laud their efforts. Though many critics wouldn't notice an original piece of theatre from a hole in the ground or that hole in their...ahem, their notices can make or break a show. When the average Off-Broadway show costs upwards of a million dollars just to get off the ground, previews are a must have to flesh out the good parts and eradicate the bad ones.
Even in the Opening Night Preview (if you were lucky enought to be one of my 49!) you could tell that the show's got something. There were the odd sound miscues and prop foul-ups but those are easily fixed. There are also a few places in the show which could be strengthened or omitted for their weakness which would probably make the show tighter. The one big problem I had was with the young lovers. While I believed the young man was a "Texas Yodler" his energy was way too low and he did mess up some of his gun slinging. I'll attribute the gun slinging to nerves and perhaps the energy too. The young woman had a lovely voice but she is the sole example of being "Un-Texas like". Perhaps it is because I am at heart a director and my heart lies with Texas that I have such a problem with this. In any case, the girl did not have any of the boistrousness or energy of a young Texas woman who could sing, rope cattle and in many cases best or be as good as a man when it comes to the range. It may be a problem with the way she is directed. In any case, I would have fashioned the young lovers after my favorite Texas fable "Pecos Bill and Sluefoot Sue". Thankfully this "Un-Texasness" doesn't migrate to the leading ladies, Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page. If Falstaff's not careful these ladies could steal the show.
In any case I thoroughly enjoyed being at LoneStar Love especially at the Opening Night Preview. I look forward to seeing it again and discovering how they altered the show based on preview responses.
I believe "LoneStar Love" has got something that will make it a success. The music is fantastic and the source story from Shakespeare isn't bad either. But aside from that, they found something that most shows who've tried have failed horribly in finding. With only a few exceptions, Lone Star Love has captured the feel and amity of Texas and for one brief night, I felt like I was going home again.
Posted by mermu at November 27, 2004 04:51 PM
Comments
We watched The Day After Tomorrow saturday night. I really like the actor who played the part of the hero who cuts his rope and is flung into the icy mall. I have seen him several other shows and like him in all of them. Maybe when I next visit NYC we can get tickets and go see that show.
Posted by: Mom at November 28, 2004 11:15 PM
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