REVIEW: Camp And Comic, COWBOIS Is The Queer Western Turning The Tables On The Classic Tales Of Gunslingers And Bandits.

Kate Gaul (Producer and Director) brings Charlie Josephine’s (Playwright) COWBOIS to Sydney.  Shaking up the Wild West genre, this play with music reconsiders the standard stories with a queer and feminist lens to present a town where cis het men aren’t the heroes of the tale and society is all the nicer for it.

The premise of the story is that somewhere in the wild west, a town populated only by women, children and a lone male, the alcoholic Sheriff (Matthew Abotomey), is quietly going about its routine of rations, religion, and keeping the town running, while waiting for the men to return with the promised riches from gold rush.  The men have been gone for almost a year and rumours of gunfights where they were supposed to be prospecting leads to a concern that they will never return.  The order and sensibility of the town is thrown into disarray when wanted outlaw, Jack Cannon (Jules Billington) is sighted near town.  When he seeks rest and respite at Miss Lillian’s (Emily Cascarino) Saloon and hotel, the women are torn between being terrified of the famed bandit and being enamored with the handsome stranger that is even more attractive than the poster baring his likeness posted behind the bar.  Cannon is not what anyone expects.  They are charming, personable, polite and helpful as they mend fences, entertain children and change hearts and minds as they encourage the town’s inhabitants to rid themselves of the constraints of societal expectations and allow themselves to express who they really are. The story however isn’t that “simple” as a twist occurs before the second act that threatens to disrupt the newfound peace.

With the heart of most country towns being the pub, Frank’s Saloon, being run by his wife Miss Lillian in his prolonged absence, is the centre of all the action so production designer Emelia Simcox has turned the Reginald Theatre into a Wild West saloon with a raised thrust stage flanked by additional seating.  Enormous brocade drapes dominate the rear of the stage while a bar holds pride of place to the centre of the stage while allowing enough room for movement when the solitary table is removed.  As with any good rural establishment, an upright piano sits to the side of the stage while the rest of the band, when not performing onstage, are positioned in the upper gallery.  Simcox has dressed the cast in a classic expression of late 19th century mid-west ‘cowboy’ country attire.  She ensures the economic situation is felt through the dusty dirty and worn clothes that fit the expectations of women of the era, providing room for growth and an expression of ‘enlightenment’ when the community start to express their true selves which then sits in contrast to the traditional attire and nature of the returning men.  Cannon’s unique position as an outlaw with a queerly charismatic allure is highlighted by the striking attire that brings colour to a rather drab community. 

At first COWBOIS appears light and amusing in its storyline where women of the Wild West are finally given some dimension beyond being the housewives and lovers of the male characters, but the progressive plot line takes a more serious tone as the realities of prejudice and toxic masculinity returns, potentially even bolder than before.  Frank had previously put a rule in place that the saloon was a sanctuary from guns and politics but upon his return, those restrictions only enforced when it suits him, leading to hate fuelled speeches and male aggression.  This layered story, interwoven with the addition of Cannon being Wanted by authorities, bounty hunters and his rival Toothless Tommy, the outlaw responsible for killing his brother does make for a complex story that at times feels a little over extended, particularly during the final showdown where victims keep reviving and returning to the gunfight so it is often unclear if shots have landed or not. 

Emily Cascrino delivers a strong, well connected expression of Miss Lillian.  Similarly Miss Lillian’s Best Friend Mary is presented with a confidence and non-nonsense honesty but also sensitivity by Branden Christine.  Faith Chaza settles into their performance, particularly when Miss Lucy is given the confidence to present in their more ‘comfortable’ characterisation of Lou. Amie McKenna’s Miss Jane is initially more constrained in keeping with the young schoolmistress’ desire to conform to expectations of a young lady, but really hits her stride when she challenges the idea that women should be meek and mild and not have a voice.  Jane Phegan’s preachy Sally Ann presents a degree of comedy relief from the start as the gossipy busybody that acts all prim and proper but is possibly the most affected by seeing the newcomer. 

As the alcoholic Sheriff, Matthew Abotomey delivers some fantastic physical comedy as the fall down drunk lawman.  Rory Spinks performed the role of Kid on the night reviewed, settling into the role particularly when given more interaction with Cannon as Kid is the first to see Cannon as a good person, not tainted by the prejudices that adults often hold.  The star of the piece is Jules Billington as Jack Cannon.  They deliver a captivating performance as they play up to the tropes of the heart breaker romantic lead and misunderstood mystery man.  They lean into the cheesiness of the character and the stereotypes with a playfulness while also retaining an honesty and sincerity to the expression.   

Overall COWBOIS is an engaging and entertaining expression of an alternative Western and its is good to see a diversity of characters presented without the work being overtly political or preachy, rather just presenting the queerness of the story as this is who these characters are, and this is their story.  A little long at 160 minutes and a 20 minute interval and with musical interludes that could do with some amplification of the voices, particularly given the thrust stage configuration, all in all this is a fun piece of theatre that presents some stories not often seen on stage. 

Cowbois | 2025 Seymour Season

Photos: Alex Vaughan

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