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Jim Catapano Saddled-Up for a Gay Rodeo!
An Exuberant New LGBTQ+MusicalKicks Off Pride at 54 Below.
“The rodeo has come to town!” sings Gurney (the powerhouse-voiced Erich W. Schleck), to open Queer Cowfolk: The Gay Rodeo Musical. “Time for chasing dreams that don’t last, let’s forget the world and have a blast!” he implores, with a compulsory yippee-kay-ay.
The musical, crafted by writer Bear Kosik and composer Lani Madland, is a rollicking good time throughout, and a celebration of LGBTQ+ creation and community. The town that Gurney sings of is Denver Colorado, where the International Gay Rodeo Association has landed for a weekend event. The center of activity is the bar Chutes, where several members of the local community explore love, relationships, and their place in the world.
Amid the backdrop of the rodeo we meet Brace, the owner of the leather shop next door. She introduces us to Fred, “one of our favorite people here,” who was recently injured and thus unable to participate in the rodeo. This impacts his relationship with his partner Ron, who is having trouble dealing with Fred’s “lost sense of purpose,” and is seemingly falling out of love with him.
“What the hell has happened here? We were the couple of the year!’ Fred laments in “Last Time You Kissed Me. “Are you ever gonna miss me again?”
Meanwhile, Ron sets his eyes on Marty but has competition in Dolly (Candace J. Templeton); Derik, the sex-loving beer delivery driver and rodeo cowboy, and Dane, the lonely Chutes bartender, express their despair about having never found true connection in the moving “Lonely After 40”. They’ve been “picking up men but avoiding relationships”, and the rodeo weekend makes them rethink their life choices.
Paul and Martin arrived at the rodeo in a rental car from Baltimore. Paul has had an “encounter” with the promiscuous Derik, in the latter’s truck. Martin, having realized he is bisexual, has “proceeded to break up with both his wife and his girlfriend.” The two sing “Purple Mini-Rental” as they play tag around the parked vehicles.
Rebecca and Tina met at a previous rodeo and are now an item but live on separate ranches miles apart. “That’s how people stay together,” muses Brace. “They live far away from each other!” Tina sings about wanting the same love her parents shared in the lovely “Day Old Roses.”
The lyrics clearly and poignantly illustrate each character’s journey, set to music that is a perfect blend of Classic Country and Broadway. Boisterous singalongs sit very comfortably alongside moving ballads.
The songs are wonderfully crafted and the love that went into creating them is evident, from the opening stomper “The Rodeo Has Come to Town!” to the gorgeous, award-winning “What I’m Saying” to the soon-to-be iconic “The First Drag Queen Rodeo Clown.” “Tell the World” could be the theme of Pride 2025, as it urges all to banish hate and choose love.
As Kosik has pointed out, Cowfolk’s characters are entirely from the LGBTQ+ community, thus freed from being relegated into the box of the “other” in a society where heterosexuality is stubbornly clung to as the norm. They are relatable and 3-dimensional, and feel like new friends you want to hang out with by show’s end.
At the 54 Below world premiere performance on June 9, presented by Bearly Designed Productions, Cowfolk was emceed by Lisa Dennett and Schleck (of the Jesus Christ Superstar national tour). The cast also included Dennett, Allison Calabrese, Anthony Castellano, Farid Garofalo-Germes, Laura MacLean and Andrew McNamara, all bringing the characters and songs to life with gusto.
Sue C. Maskaleris provided expert musical direction and accompanied the cast on piano and violin. Nelson Riveros did stunning guitar work throughout, backed by the impeccable rhythm section of Tony Ventura on bass and Brian Woodruff on drums.
Cowfolk the Gay Rodeo Musical is a love letter in song to LGBTQ+ pride, and a tremendous showcase for the artists of the community. Keep an eye out for it Off-Broadway.
“Tell the world we choose love.”
Jim Catapano reviews the creation & connection in AMT’s Upside Down
A Rousing New Musical at AMT Imagines Life and Love in a Very Different Timeline
It’s another day in our matriarchal society. The legendary New York Jets are working towards their seventh Super Bowl win. Teachers are the heroes, and command the salary they deserve. A gay woman (Ashanti J’aria) is the president of the United States, and her partner (Kira Sarai Helper) is a general in the women-led military. Over 90 percent of the population identifies as gay, while marginalized straight people are fighting to exist and be heard. (The TV series “Straight Eye for the Gay Guy” is one attempt at mainstream recognition). The heterosexual community dreams to be accepted for who they are and to not be judged on who they love. But over on FUX news, “conservative” pundit Lou Smalls (Josh Powell) casts aspersion on the “breeders” (the straight community) while his purple shirt-wearing shadower Pastor Jake (Jake Foster) nods along, claiming that the Bible forbids “a man to lay down with a woman”.
Enter theatre book writer Jake Tanner (Mike Ferlita) and musician and lyricist Robert Lyons (Matthew Liu). The two gay creators are desperate for a Broadway hit, and joining forces with producer Robin Bird (Kelli Maguire) and agent Maggie Burns (Gina Milo), are commissioned to tackle a long-held taboo. They are to create the first heterosexual musical—and the theme will be (gasp!) straights in the military. Can you imagine, men and women on stage—together?! Welcome to Upside Down.
Jake and Robert’s journey to accomplish their momentous task starts with them going undercover at a straight bar. Robert is comically and ostentatiously dressed as straight icon Elvis, while Jake meets straight Tennessee torch singer Tammy (Brogan Nelson, who sings a spirited “Tennessee Rag” and “Midtown Boy”). Jake asks for Tammy to be his beard while he poses as hetero, and in turn Tammy asks him to help her get rid of her rich stalker, creepy mama’s boy Eugene (Patrick Brady, who sings the hilarious “Without Mom.”)
Struggling to write music about straight relationships, Robert composes a love song to his Alexa device (“My Female Ideal”). “You only speak when spoken to!” he croons to it. Meanwhile the “engaged” Jake and Tammy encounter bigotry when they go to a bakery and are rejected—the place won’t make wedding cakes for straight couples. As Jake learns more about the plight of the heterosexual community, and spends more time with the magnetic Tammy, he begins to feel things he didn’t expect. And as the musical gets closer to opening night, the powers-that-be get wind of the “offensive” content, and threaten to shut it down…
Upside Down is a positive triumph from Al Tapper (Book) and Tony Sportiello (Lyrics). It combines old-school Broadway flair with modern wit and sensibility, and is a joyful adventure from the first note to the coda. It holds a mirror to our society at a crucial time, and makes us stop and think about the absurdity of exclusion, while being endlessly ebullient and entertaining throughout. The ensemble’s singing and dancing is chef’s kiss, and all in the company get turns to show their stuff. Shining moments abound from Lauren Gemelli (Rachel/Mandy), Stephanie Maloney (Waitress), Stanley Martin (Ross/Roger), and Bernie Baldassaro (Midtown Boy). The group numbers are nothing short of astonishing (including an incredible tap-dancing sequence), and the tunes are collectively catchy and memorable. You’ll want to come right back for another evening in the Upside Down—and probably wish you could live there.
Upside Down is directed and choreographed by Taavon Gamble, with musical direction by David Wolfson. It runs at the AMT Theater through April 5, 2025.
Arts Independent 