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Regional Reviews: San Francisco Splendid Acting in Sarah Ruhl's Late: A Cowboy Song Also see Richard's review of Shit & Champagne
Crick, a security guard, and Mary are a strangely happy married couple about to have a baby. It was love at first sight in the second grade when they knew they were meant for each other, and their mutual love flourished in an atmosphere offering little interfering. Crick is a bit of a dim ninny who cries when watching It's a Wonderful Life on television during the Christmas season. Even as adults, the two seem annoyingly childlike with each other. Their childishness is a little hard to swallow even when they bicker and coo. Mary occasionally visits a lady cowboy named Red outside of town. She has an emotionally fulfilling relationship with this cowgirl and that friendship starts to stain Mary's marriage to Crick. We don't really know all of the details of this strange relationship and it is left up to the audience's imagination as to what has occurred between Red and Mary. The playwright provides fascinating monologues on a lot of things in this fast-paced drama, including how to prepare Asian clear soup, and there are humorous talks on the origins of Memorial and Veteran's Day. When Crick describes his favorite painting in the museum where he works, he merely says, "white on top, red on the bottom." Brian Martin gives an outstanding performance as Crick. You might think he is a controlling monster, but Martin shows great depth, sympathy and understanding in the role. Maria Leigh is wonderful as Mary. She radiates kindness, defenselessness, and eccentricity all at the same time. She somewhat reminds me of Nora in Ibsen's A Doll House. Lauren Preston is excellent as Red and uses all her height and swagger to play the cowgirl. She also nicely sings composer Amy Warren's original songs. Erik LaDue's set design of the couple's cluttered apartment reflects on the messy emotional lives of Crick and Mary. One side is a simple fence where Red and Mary meet. It's an impressively simple set. Ariel Craft's direction is sharp and reduces the annoyingly heavy-handed feminism that is usually one of the playwright's trademarks. Late: A Cowboy Song plays through February 1st, 2015, at the Gough Street Playhouse, 1620 Gough Street, San Francisco. For tickets go to http://www.custommade.org/.
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