COWBOIS - ROYAL COURT - REVIEW ****

Tonight (17/1/24), I was lucky enough to have been invited to the press night of ‘Cowbois’ by Charlie Josephine at the Royal Court Theatre.

Cowbois is a new play, by Charlie Josephine that plays out the story of repressed women in a wild western town, whose world is suddenly rocked by a handsome bandit ‘Jack Cannon’. From this point on, the town’s inhabitants decide they will never be repressed again.. which causes quite the argument when their husbands return.

This script by Charlie Josephine was hilarious and witty throughout. There was plenty of laughs in this for the majority of generations - whilst the most of the piece targets those younger generations who are experiencing these oppressions from the past in the modern day. It is, in my opinion, an incredibly relevant piece that gives the audience plenty of food for thought. Every scene either made an incredibly strong remark on society and the way people were and still are repressed, or left the audience rolling in the isles laughing - and on the majority of occasions it did both of these things.

A simplistic set and brilliant music accompany a magnificently talented cast and that is what makes this show exactly what it is.

The cast is led by Sophie Melville as Miss Lillian and Vinnie Heaven as Jack Cannon.

Sophie Melville brought a strong, independent character to the stage with Miss Lillian. Vinnie Heaven had a brilliant stage presence in the role of Jack Cannon with a charming energy that won the audience over immediately.

The cast was completed by a fantastic bunch of performers including Bridgette Amofah (Mary), Lee Braithwaite (Lucy/Lou), Shaun Dingwall (Frank/Tommy), Michael Elcock (George), Colm Gormley (John), Paul Hunter (Sheriff Roger Jones), Lucy McCormick (Jayne), Julian Moore-Cook (James), Emma Pallant (Sally Ann), LJ Parkinson (Charley Parkhurst) and Lemuel Ariel Adou (Kid).

Standout performances came from Sophie Melville and Vinnie Heaven. As well as Lee Braithwaite who brought so much truth and honesty to the role of Lou, and Lucy McCormick who gave a hilarious and entertaining performance as Jayne.

The production as a whole is an exciting and relevant gun-slinger. Cowbois is a western for the modern audience, one that tackles the issues of today, not only bringing those issues into the Wild West - but transporting the audience there too.

With only minor flaws, such as some slow moments throughout the show that just needed the pace to be quickened and some moments of a low energy. This show is still marvellous and deserves to be seen as such!

17th January 2024

Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants