My overall impression
What do you want?
Seriously….what is it that you want? One character asks this question in Rodeo Town. And it made me ask my self what I wanted out of Theatre. Do you want something gritty, truthful, messy, and strangely familial? Well then, to borrow a phrase, this is the show for you.
I sat in the second row, which I maintain was a damn good choice; and as the sweat, blood, and cornbread poured off stage, I was brought right into the middle of a southern war zone between four characters….some are at war with themselves, all are at war with each other. Each performance is dripping with dedication. More than a few times, the characters on stage get frighteningly physical…so much so I was squirming. In fact, during the show I saw, one of the characters put his foot through the stage floor.
If you don’t have the grit, this show isn’t for you. But for those of us unafraid to get our hands (and virtually every other part of our body) dirty, this is a gem.
