Reviewed by Jerry Kraft
"Lone
Star Love"
is a musical that's just gosh-darn eager to please, as likeable as a pretty
girl's wink, and a bit gawky, a bit over-dressed in ill-fitting uptown clothes.
There is a good deal that's genuinely delightful in this Texas-style musical
that borrows its storyline from "The Merry Wives of Winsor," not
least of all the first-rate bluegrass music of the Red Clay Ramblers. A solid cast, good dance
numbers and some sweet romance set a tone that's endearing and sweet. The
comedy is unassuming and pretty entertaining, but the show seems to wander into
some relatively weak numbers, and the dramatic focus is unbalanced between
minor characters with major impact and more major characters who seem musically
and dramatically less distinct. This show has had a very long journey from its
off-Broadway origin to this big scale production but, sadly, the show still
doesn't feel ready.
What
is ready is Randy Quaid in the central role of the lowdown cattle and wife rustler, Colonel
John Falstaff. He's a big, lovable scoundrel whose appetites run to most
anything previously claimed or currently frowned on by proper society. Quaid
has an easy charm and presence that makes him simultaneously big and
approachable. He feels very close to us at the same time that he's clearly not
to be trusted, and he gets tangible pleasure from his misconduct. I was also
pleasantly surprised by the strength of Quaid's singing, which may not be a
beautiful sound, but certainly carries a theatrical identity.
Perhaps
the sweetest pair on stage was a yodeling cowboy, Fenton (Clarke Thorell) and his newfound eternal love,
the perfectly adorable MissAnn (Kara Lindsay). Their silly, winking from the
wings romance had the best songs of the show, "Prairie Moon" and "Count on My
Love" and
really felt closest to the simple and unabashed tenderness of a romantic
comedy. Similarly, Ramona Keeler was terrific as a feisty and self-assured housekeeper
with a ton of attitude and more insight than anyone else on stage.
Unfortunately,
the larger roles of the wealthy rancher, Frank Ford (Robert Cuccioli) and his wife, Agnes (Lauren
Kennedy), and
George Page (Dan Sharkey) and his wife, Margaret Ann (Dee Hoty) are all well-played but not
well-written. The big numbers that should keep the focus clearly on them are
simply not strong enough, and that makes the central conflict of the show a bit
feeble. We have to have a real appreciation of what havoc the stranger coming
to town causes, and here it’s too diffuse and anemic.
Similarly,
the show simply wanders too much, and at times in the second act allows itself
to cross the line between ribald and vulgar, spending much too long with Mr.
Quaid's shirt off and doing one bit with a phallic long-necked beer bottle that
is simply crude, and not in a funny way.
"Lone
Star Love" is certainly attractively built, with handsome and impressive
scenery by Derek McLane, vivid costumes by Jane Greenwood and elegant lighting by Ken
Billington and Paul
Miller. The
choreography by Randy Skinner (who also directed) is fun and very much in tune with
the overall tone of the show. The onstage musicians of the Red Clay Ramblers are
wonderful.
There
is so much talent on this stage, and so much good work in the writing and
production that it just seems sad that it doesn't all amount to a really good
show. Maybe this book can all be tightened by about a third, some of the
dramatic emphasis re-balanced and some ruthless cutting done to whole musical
numbers so that the show is tighter and more focused. I hope so. "Lone
Star Love" could be a winning attraction on Broadway, but not as it now
stands.