Writer: Charlie Josephine
Directors: Charlie Josephine and Sean Holmes
When Charlie Josephine contemplated the possibility that a historical figure may not have conformed to modern heteronormative ideals in I, Joan, the usual suspects were up in arms about the prospect of queer people existing.
Josephine’s latest work sits less within the historical realm, choosing instead to stick within the world of the Western, at least as viewed through the prism of Hollywood’s interpretation of the Old West. As such, there may be less for the reactionary guard to object to – but there is also more creative freedom for Josephine to explore what life would be like if the days of the past exhibited some of the gender freedoms for which LGBTQ+ people in the 21st century strive.
In this RSC production, transferring to the Royal Court from 2023’s run at Stratford-upon-Avon’s Swan Theatre, a small Western town is missing its men, who have all been missing for a year after leaving to look for gold in them thar hills. When handsome bandit Jack Cannon (Vinnie Heaven) – wanted for various crimes – rolls into town, he turns heads in multiple ways.
Gradually, the townsfolk’s drab, dusty, washed-out clothing gives way to bright primary colours, designer Grace Smart’s costumes eye-poppingly illustrating the new personal freedoms Jack’s presence has unlocked. The bandit’s openness about his identity – like Heaven, they are trans masc – does not change the residents’ gender identity but unlocks their ability to accept who they are and show it. Lee Braithwaite’s Lucy, already rejecting the role of a demure woman who should wait for the men to return to do the practical work, shaves their head to become Lou; perpetually drunk Sheriff (Paul Hunter) sobers up and finds he is most comfortable wearing silk dresses; while Sophie Melville’s saloon owner Miss Lillian finds herself embarking on a wild romance with the handsome stranger.
Josephine’s story hits upon some of the aspects of queer life that, as the number of LGBTQ+ plays hitting the mainstream increases, risk becoming overused tropes. But in the first act, at least, it feels like this is deliberate, a cartoon depiction of a heteronormative situation becoming brighter and happier through liberal quantities of queer joy. But Act II focuses on the men’s return – all still alive, but without the riches they had hoped for – and their desire to put the gender genie back in the bottle. At this point, the simple lines with which Josephine is prone to write characters threaten to derail the whole project.
That it does not completely fall apart as the women face the temptation to revert to their previous lives is in no small part of Shaun Dingwall’s turn as Lillian’s husband Frank, a snarling control freak who yearns for the old status quo in which he was top dog. The play also suffers from the absence of Heaven’s charisma as Jack skips town. But the menace with which the town’s joyous advances are rebuffed – the Sheriff is forced to wear trousers and down whisky, Lou is browbeaten into reverting into womenswear – ensures the production retains an edge that keeps the play afloat.
Directors Josephine and Sean Holmes mix and match eras and styles, particularly with a musical score written by Jim Fortune that spans the ages, thanks to a live band under musical director Gemma Storr, strong vocals from Heaven and other cast members, and party scenes piping in some EDM. There is also a nod to queer cabaret, with LJ Parkinson (who elsewhere performs as drag king LoUis CYfer) making a brash, fourth-wall-breaking late appearance as a Marshall looking for Jack.
The whole shebang culminates with a prolonged gunfight sequence that is both overlong and under-choreographed. While it includes several scenes that bring resolution to many of Josephine’s disparate story strands, it helps cement the impression that Cowbois does not quite fulfil the goal of its high-concept idea.
Still, there is much to be said for the play’s unsubtle approach and the way it revels in the prospect of how one person living their life with as much queer joy as possible can unlock so much for everyone around them, whether they are LGBTQ+ or not. That is what so many people today rail against, just as the menfolk of Josephine’s Western town do. The message that, ultimately, queer joy will win may be illustrated in a slightly heavy-handed manner, but sometimes the best ideas need to be shouted out loud.
Continues until 10 February 2024
The Reviews Hub Score
Heavy-handed queer Western
