BIG AND BRIGHT DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS
1959 PINK THUNDERBIRD presented by Black and Blue Eyed Productions
Corpus Christi Playroom - Reviewed by Colin Lawrence
In this study of West Texas life by James McLure, LAUNDRY AND BOURBON follows the women who are related to the men in the companion piece LONE STAR as they drink and talk away the afternoon paralleling their partners' evening conversation in the less salubrious surroundings at the rear of Angel's Bar, in Maynard, Texas, a one horse town where I suspect even the horse has left. The writing is spare and holds our attention, and although neither play really amounts to very much on its own; as a double bill they work remarkably well in tandem.
The women's play cleverly illustrates the price Elizabeth, a strong, thoughtful and wistful performance by Suzanne Jones , has to pay for her loyal love of Vietnam veteran Roy, ‘the last wild thing left around here' as her blowsy friend Hattie, Lindsey McAuley , supplying an excellent brassy sounding board, calls him. In this play the women are occupied with household chores and children while in LONE STAR, the men just do their good ol' boy thing. Completing the trio is the sassy but snobbish Amy Lee, the town's chief rumour-monger, played with her nose delightfully in the air, by Alexandra Fye . With no real plot to speak of, we eavesdrop on Elizabeth and Hattie as they fold laundry and drink bourbon on the back porch of Elizabeth 's house. Making good use of the small playing area, the set, with its pink hue and picket fencing provided just the right backdrop to this domestic scene. It's a hot afternoon and the talk inevitably turns to their men folk and, in Hattie's case, her husband Vernon , their unruly children and a put-upon grandmother. Hattie's very funny telephone conversations bring the unseen kids and their grandma almost into our laps. The long-suffering and dignified wife Elizabeth dotes on Roy and is, like the other characters in this, at times, comical piece, totally believable, particularly when the obnoxious Amy Lee arrives to stir up trouble. Director Sally Marsh demonstrates the highs and lows of their mundane lives, with sympathy and understanding making the play a pleasure to watch.
In LONE STAR we meet Roy, the proud owner of the 1959 Pink Ford Thunderbird, his younger brother Ray, and Amy Lee's husband Cletis. Roy and Ray are shooting the breeze in the backyard of what is probably the only watering-hole in Maynard, A pink neon ‘bar' sign tells us all we need to know about Angel's Bar as does the accumulated rubbish strewn about the place. Roy methodically works his way through a case of Lone Star beer, supplemented by assorted snacks ranging from popcorn to candy bars whilst reminiscing about ‘ Nam , a chequered love life and his lost youth in the shape of his beloved car. Steve Read as Roy played the belligerent semi-drunk with entertaining sparks of anger and self-pity in equal measure, while Declan Lynch as Ray delivered the performance of the evening as the brother who reveals a number of secrets which leave us wondering whether he is quite as dim-witted as he at first appears. Colin Richardson , as Cletis, displayed just the right nervous quality of a man who is both hen-pecked and smitten with his admiration for the less than perfect Roy . A little more light and shade from the cast in the opening sequence would have added to the flavour of the piece. Making his directorial debut with this production Neil Coates for the most part hits all the right notes and successfully draws out the failings of this rather sad trio.
Subtle lighting, good costumes and atmospheric sound effects and music enhanced the production with the added bonus of live music provided by local band The Pinkertons. I think it's true that the stars at night really shine big and bright deep in the heart of Texas ; they certainly do in this latest offering from Black & Blue Eyed Productions.
Published in 'Combinations' magazine October 2007