Cowboy Mouth – Review by Halle Parris

Cowboy Mouth felt like a rollercoaster ride, many ups and downs. From the very start, two enraged rockstar wannabees scream about suicide as they play the drums and strum a broken guitar. The plot was confusing and didn’t seem to go anywhere. At every opportunity for a joke, it became serious. When serious, there was a joke. It was uncomfortable since the reviewer didn’t know whether to laugh or to listen.

However, Cowboy Mouth redeemed itself in its monologues, especially the kidnapper’s ugly duckling story. Using subtlety, tone, and ticky mannerisms, the actress playing the kidnapper made her feel so real, even forgivable. The playwright clearly shows a way with words that can turn even extremely eccentric characters into rusty poets.

Perhaps Cowboy Mouth simply relied too much on a cool plot with strong characters. Despite great light effects and set design, the play didn’t make much of an impact. As the play came to a close, the storyline finally pinpointed the main character. Lobster Man. With facial expressions and animal sounds alone, his character seemed the manifestation of confusion, the savior of the play. Maybe that was THUD Productions’ intent: to bewilder the audience with experimental theatre. Either way, it’s a strange day when the most relatable character in a play is a lobster.