MUCH ADO ABOUT TEXAS // A THEATRE REVIEW OF "LOVELESS TEXAS"
Adapting Shakespeare into new forms is hardly a new approach, but it's one that continues to impress (and sometimes not impress) in new and varied ways. Some strong adaptations in my mind include West Side Story, 10 Things I Hate About You, My Own Private Idaho, & Baz Luhrmann's frantic and exhilarating Romeo & Juliet. There are less successful ones out there (She's the Man and O come to mind) but I'm happy to say that Boomerang Theatre's latest offering LOVELESS TEXAS can sit with the former, not the latter.
Henry Aronson and Cailin Heffernan's musical take on Love's Labour's Lost, resets the action in Texas and Louisiana and has shades of Oklahoma in its DNA. Berowne Loveless Navarre (Joe Joseph) and his buddies love spending their days chasing girls and getting into trouble. But his older brother King Loveless Ferdinand Navarre (Darren Ritchie) has other ideas. He offers them all jobs with a catch: they can't go chasing girls, drink, or gamble. He needs the help on the ranch and he wants to shape up his brother in the process. So because the men really don't have options, they sign their fun days away. But this being a musical comedy, there is of course shenanigans to be had, and there just so happens to be a town near King's ranch full of women. And once they visit it, each of the boy’s hearts, including King's, begin to swoon, and that's when the real fun begins.
The cast is filled with some very fine actors with great voices, most notably Darren Ritchie as the King, Joe Joseph as his younger brother, powerhouse vocalist Amanda Lea Lavergne as Rosaline, charming Bligh Voth, and starry eyed Annette Navarro as Kathy Bridge. The ensemble is strong and the production values are lovely. Seeing the band on stage is an inspired choice. However, not everything works quite perfectly, notably the choreography (or lack thereof) and some peculiar character choices and direction. Joe Joseph sounds great but his character's quick switch from rebel to his brother's lapdog seems to come out of nowhere. And his brother, played with force by Darren Ritchie, is painted as kind of a villain and sort of a wiser than character, but neither one is quite defined. The costume design also seems to be unsure of what decade it's set in. According to the story, it should be the beginning of The Great Depression but there are shades of Jazz era 20's, the 1950's, and even modern day. Although the show is quite charming, it need some much-needed focus to really ground it.
Henry Aronson and Cailin Hefernan know how to strum up a catchy song. The songs in Loveless Texas are great; tuneful and full of joy. There's also A LOT of them, 19 songs in total, many of which don't actually move the plot. And some songs seem like they're about to end perfectly but then go on for several more verses, making you wish the song would just end. Which is a shame because the melodies are quite good (the song Draw The Line is a perfect example of a tuneful song that should be half the length). To put it simply, there's just too much music, and a good pair of trimming scissors is needed. With a bit of cutting and sharper character focus, Loveless Texas will really shine. Head down to The Sheen Center to see this great cast sing their hearts out, and I hope in the near future a slimmer, sharper version of Loveless Texas graces the stage once again. I'd quite like to revisit Loveless and these characters. I feel they'll only get stronger with age.
GRADE: B
Music and Lyrics by Henry Aronson Liberetto and Directed by Calin Heffernan Starring Joe Joseph, Darren Ritchie, Colin Barkell, Brett Bernowitz, John Herrera, CJ Eldred, Trisha Jeffrey, Amanda Lea Lavergne, Annette Navarro, Bligh Voth, Kimberly Jajuan, Chase Kamata Playing at The Sheen Center, 18 Bleeker Street.