My Life As A Cowboy
Omnibus Theatre • 27th August - 8th September
It’s official. Country music is cool, and to prove it you need look no further than 17-year-old Conor in Hugo Timbrell’s play My Life As A Cowboy. There is nothing that brings more colour to his otherwise grey suburban life than busting some moves to the likes of Shania Twain and Dolly Parton in the privacy of his bedroom! (If you’re still not convinced about country music’s resurgence in popularity, then you should also know that it was the fastest growing genre of music in 2023, not forgetting it has given us our own queer country star in Orville Peck, who’s in good company with the likes of Beyonce also recently dipping a rhinestoned toe into the genre with the release of Cowboy Carter, from which the single, Texas Hold ‘Em, has been streamed on Spotify 516,461,056… actually, make that 516,461,057… I couldn’t resist!!)
Such luminaries of the genre provide the musical soundscape for Timbrell’s heartwarming queer coming of age comedy where the young Conor, (Harry Evans) has big dreams that extend far beyond just living in Croydon with his Mum, where the only escape from his mundane existence are his regular shifts as a lifeguard at his local leisure centre. This is definitely not the life he had imagined for himself and, despite his young age, already worries that other people are thinking it’s the only life he is actually capable of having. Something desperately needs to change, and when the annual Croydon People’s Day comes around, he’s convinced that entering the event’s Talent Competition might just be the opportunity he has been waiting for… and what better way to secure the win than to dance for the judges accompanied by his beloved Country & Western music. He’s also convinced himself that fame and a one-way ticket to America are sure to follow given one of the judges just happens to be Leona Lewis’s manager!
He quickly comes to realise that he can’t do it alone however, and so sets about trying to convince his less than enthusiastic best friend Zainab (Nusrath Tapadar) to join him. Despite her frosty reception to the idea, Conor’s relentless enthusiasm for his masterplan to escape the confines of a somewhat lacklustre life soon finds his fellow lifeguard Michael (Callum Broome) wanting in on the action, leading to the revelation that he also just happens to be a closeted lover of Country & Western music, not to mention a guitar playing songwriter. Ironically, despite being straight, this is not the only time Micheal is made to come out of a closet, but it’s his awkwardly weird energy that threatens to derail Conor’s big chance, leaving Conor with only his boundless optimism to drive the idea he hatched in his bedroom all the way to the big time… via Croydon Town Hall!
What follows is this unlikeliest of trio’s forming an unusual, and at times uneasy friendship group. Timbrell’s script revels in unpacking the clashes that their differences occasionally lead to providing a rich foundation for the comedy that follows. Far from being content to just lift the humour from the pages of Timbrell’s script however, director Scott Le Crass also revel’s in teasing out every last nuanced reaction from his impressive young actors, all of whom are superbly cast in their roles. Harry Evans gives Conor a smile and energy that’s hard not to get fully on board with, Nusrath Tapadar equips Zainab with a disparaging stare so fierce that you wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of it, and Callum Broome pitches Michael’s awkwardness so perfectly, that it is at times as uncomfortable to watch as it is hilarious.
The staging is a simple affair but proves to be highly adaptable as the action bounces between Conor’s bedroom, the leisure centre’s swimming pool and Croydon Town Hall. With smooth, well-choreographed transitions between all three, it is not until the end that a surprisingly more detailed and colourful location is revealed and, after the simplicity of what has come before, it’s a clever touch that serves to elevates the finalé to a whole new level, the impact of which is proved by an audible ‘coo’ of approval from the delighted audience.
Can Conor make his dreams come true? You are going to have to see the play to find out for yourself… but see it you most definitely should. This is a highly amusing feelgood story about a group of teenagers from diverse backgrounds daring to have big dreams whilst trying to put their differences behind them in order to make them happen. I guarantee you will leave the theatre with a smile on your face and feeling a little bit better about the world that we live in and the importance of the friendships we forge.
★★★★
review: Simon J. Webb
photographs: Henri T