Review: Late, A Cowboy Song (The Hen and Chickens Theatre)

My first ever visit to The Hen & Chickens Theatre, was to see Late, A Cowboy Song, written by Sarah Ruhl and produced by T. Regina Theatre Co.

The synopsis of the show said: Mary, always late and always married, meets Red, a lady cowboy strumming songs outside Pittsburgh city limits. With Red, Mary tastes a freedom she’s never had, and begins a search for the recipe. Meanwhile, her husband, Crick, buys abstract paintings with borrowed money. 

This instantly gave the impression that Mary (Oriel Bathurst) was not entirely happy in her relationship, however at the start of the play this is glossed over somewhat as she and Crick (Alec Osborne) fall out and make up – seemingly in a way that they both enjoy - on a regular basis. Here I must mention Intimacy Director (Liz Kent) as the chemistry between Mary and Crick was off the scale at the start of the show.  But later, and significantly, the tension crackling between Mary and Red as the play progressed gradually built like an electrical storm. I did not expect to find myself in tears when two people simply hugged.  

The relationships were an interesting focus on expectation and reality. Crick and Mary have been together since they were really young, in fact it is discussed that they fell in love when they were eight. As a viewer, you start to wonder if Crick is developing a penchant for coercive control because of a fear of losing Mary, and his own personal sense of failure (in employment for one example), or if he's always been like that. But it takes an outsider - namely Red - to actually voice the concern about whether he has ever hit her, to bring this to the forefront.

The performances of all three actors are sensitive to the emotional shifts between the characters, the expectations of a mother with a young baby, and indeed societal pressure to conform at times. As one friendship adds fresh positivity into Mary's life, the cracks start to show in what she originally thought of as her destiny. You can see how much this ever-shifting situation weighs on her, beautifully performed from all angles. As I was watching the show, I wondered if the whole cast was American. But on reading the programme, Meighread Dandeneau is named as voice and accent coach (amongst other things) so it's fair to say she did an incredible job!

With a cast of three, the stage somehow always felt busy, largely because of the presence of all three actors for the majority of the time, even if one of them was at times in silhouette. There was also the suggestion of other characters at the other end of the phone which gave a sense of a larger cast. 

The addition of music to this play was such a positive choice. With lyrics by Sarah Ruhl, Konnie Kendall (who also plays Red) composed the music and performed it during the show. In fact, even as the audience were being seated, Red was on stage noodling on the guitar, and this instantly felt engaging and added atmosphere to the intimate theatre space. 

The lighting (Phil Hamilton) helped switch the scenes from one to the next, even at times when the performers did not move on stage. This was a very useful way to move the narrative forward. 

There minimal props (Emily Nelson) but these were cleverly used – a chair became a horse, a blanket was used in all sorts of creative ways, at times with fluid visible changing from one use to the next. In such a small space there was just enough furniture to flesh out each location. The costumes also felt completely fitting for each character.

The story itself isn’t necessarily new.  Inspiring memories of Sleeping with the Enemy (willing the protagonist to escape from a not-so-perfect husband) and Bound (the friend morphing into potential love interest trope), but there is more added into this situation when a baby comes along to add pressure in different ways, and not just because of the sudden presence of a dependent. 

The direction (Alex Stroming) ensured that the pace was steady and the tension between all of the characters built in exactly the right way and at the right times. 

After seeing an earlier production by T. Regina Theatre Co., I felt hopeful that this show would be as watchable and I’m pleased to say they have done it again.  With great performances all round, and that ever-present chemistry, this is good show to warm up a winter’s evening. 

Late, A Cowboy Song is showing at The Hen & Chickens Theatre until Saturday 13 December.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you would like to see my curtain call photographs from this and other shows, please visit my Instagram.

I was gifted a ticket for this show in exchange for an honest review.