Review: GAY COWBOYS at UNDER St. Marks Is Full of Heart and Hijinks

On June 27, 11th Hour Productions brought their original one-act play, Gay Cowboys, to New York City, serving up a queer Western with swagger, chaos, and emotional depth. Written and directed by Ciara Hannon, who also co-produced the show alongside Saylor Lake, the play followed Fancy, a charming outsider who rides into the town of Sweetwater claiming to protect it from the infamous Midnight Mangler. But as the plot unfolds, it’s revealed that Fancy is in on the scam. The twist? She’s falling in love with Lady, the sharp-tongued saloon owner, and suddenly the grift isn’t so simple.

A standout of the night was Ana Gorayeb as Lady, who anchored the production with magnetic stage presence and layered emotional delivery. Her scenes with Saylor Lake’s Fancy carried real weight, charged with both tension and tenderness. Together, the two actors built a believable arc from guarded flirtation to vulnerable connection, giving the play its emotional core. Gorayeb’s portrayal stood out in a tremendous way playing a character with so many complex emotions, and Lake’s performance balanced swagger with growing doubt in a way that felt lived-in and honest.

The production leaned into stylized physicality, with bursts of fight choreography woven throughout the show. Charisma Etayo, who played Fennec and also served as the fight captain, helped orchestrate dynamic and sharp brawls that added comic chaos and visual excitement. These skirmishes built to a wild, high-energy group fight set to Beyoncé’s “Ya Ya,” a crowd-pleasing climatic full-cast fight that had fists flying, wigs whipping, and the audience clapping along with full enthusiasm.

Rounding out the cast were Sarah Rae Jackson and Marc Johnson, each bringing unique characters that enhanced the ensemble’s chemistry. With costuming and cosmetology designed by Saylor Lake, the visual world of Gay Cowboys was layered with playful detail, with flashy cowboy fits that contrasted the minimal set. The whole production carried a confident camp sensibility that felt both self-aware and sincere.

What made Gay Cowboys especially refreshing was its treatment of queerness as a fact of the show, not the focal point. Fancy and Lady’s relationship wasn’t questioned. The Sheriff’s frustration came from jealousy, not bigotry, and the town never labeled their love as anything unusual. During Pride weekend, it was a gift to see a queer story that didn’t center trauma or discrimination, but instead celebrated love, agency, and unapologetic weirdness.