Cowbois ★★★ Royal Court Theatre | Jan 11 - Feb 10, 2024


When a handsome stranger comes into a small western town, the established order gets seriously shaken up. Conventions and stereotypes are called into question. Does one only put either salt or sugar on grits, or could it be both, or neither? The complexity of a bad guy who acts like a good guy, or a good guy who does apparently bad things throws into question the simplistic binaries that the town has always lived by. In the end, the townspeople are liberated from a reductive view of themselves and their sexuality. Thanks to the stranger they are freed from the repressive cant that has controlled their lives and can put aside the crutches like alcohol that they have used to fit into their repressive reality. Cowbois is a fable of liberation that parodies the genre of the Western and its often simplistic rendering of morality and gender, but this show itself is also completely predictable, and as lacking in nuance as the genre it is ostensibly parodying. The jokes are broad and the acting is even broader. As Jack, the disruptive stranger, Vinnie Heaven puts in a befittingly beguiling performance, and we also enjoyed Paul Hunter's drunken Sheriff. While Act I seems rather drawn out, Act II bounces along. However, despite the engaging musical interludes and infectious energy of the cast, the polemical nature of the piece is always at the fore. While it is difficult to believe anyone would not respond to the show's life-affirming thesis, it does come off as rather heavy-handed and in need of some editing. There's definitely an audience for the positive messaging of this lively entertainment and its upbeat challenge to the status quo, and no doubt Cowbois will resonate with a lot of people.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Ali Wright

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: 50-51 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS, UK

Most Popular

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

Power of Sail – A Moral Thriller ★★★★ Menier Chocolate Factory | Mar 20 - May 12, 2024

Image
The bon mot that academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small has various attributions, and its history of apparently being "borrowed" is not without some irony. Set in the context of a debate about free speech, Paul Grellong has written a piece that is less a moral thriller and more of a satire. It is really about the pettiness and lack of principle involved in navigating one's way through the choppy seas of academia. The play doesn't really do much to advance the debate about finding the line between hate speech and free speech, but it is a clinical dissection of the mendacity and petty ambition that infects the environment of those who are supposedly charged with exploring and refining that important distinction. Apparently under the rubric of free speech, Harvard professor Charles Nichols (Julian Ovenden) has invited a well-known white supremacist to participate in a panel at the university. The students are outraged and the dean is ...
Full Details »

Sweetmeats ★★★ Bush Theatre | Feb 7 - Mar 21, 2026

Image
When two South Asian elders meet at a diabetes management course, romance is the last thing on the agenda. Yet in Karim Khan’s charming romantic comedy, love proves to be the sweetest item on offer. Diabetes becomes more than a medical condition. It serves as a metaphor for grief, while food stands in for the affection missing from the lives of Hema and Liaquat, both widowed and unsure whether love can return. Hema has created a combative persona, fortifying herself against further hurt. Liaquat, by contrast, is burdened by regret, haunted by feelings he never voiced. They bond over their shared weakness for sweets and the resultant diabetes, but their differences are pronounced. She is Indian and he is Pakistani. Even so, what unites them gradually outweighs what divides them. The political message is clear without being laboured. Performed by Shobu Kapoor and Rehan Sheikh, Hema and Liaquat are instantly recognisable and deeply sympathetic. We root for them to take the risk and find h...
Full Details »

Les Liaisons Dangereuses ★★★ National Theatre | Mar 21 - Jun 6, 2026

Image
Spoilt, rich people whose sole occupation is scheming to destroy the lives of the naïve and gullible. No, this is not a dramatised version of the Epstein files. Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ eighteenth-century epistolary novel, depicting amoral aristocrats on the brink of the French Revolution, has inspired many incarnations, yet it continues to shock and, at times, to delight. Christopher Hampton’s stage adaptation, first presented in 1985, streamlines the narrative, focusing on the rivalry and tangled emotional connection between the two master manipulators: the Marquise de Merteuil, played by Lesley Manville, and the Vicomte de Valmont, portrayed by Aidan Turner. Together they engage in a vicious game, with Valmont attempting to seduce both the innocent Cécile de Volanges and the devout Madame de Tourvel. It is wickedly entertaining material, and it proves just as intriguing in this context as it does in the well-known teen film, Cruel Intentions . There are, however, some issues with...
Full Details »

If. Destroyed. Still. True. ★★★ The Hope Theatre | Apr 26 - May 14, 2022

Image
"You can't go home again." If. Destroyed. Still. True. is a familiar story of friends separated by time and the decisions to follow different paths in life. Jack Condon presents two young men who have bonded in youth but who become separated and increasingly lost to one another as they grow up. John, played by Condon, fears change and clings to the familiar even as he recognises how it limits his life. In the end, he retreats to a world of nostalgia, alcohol and anger. Best friend, James, played by Theo Ancient, manages to negotiate the path of social mobility but is riddled by guilt about what he has left behind. Both actors bring a resonant truth to their performances, and Condon is especially convincing as the partially self-aware, awkwardly articulate John. While Whitney Kehinde rings true as Charlotte, James' girlfriend, it is a role that is only partially developed. We are left guessing at her backstory, and her character serves only to bring into focus the fra...
Full Details »

White Christmas ★★★★ The Mill at Sonning | Nov 27, 2024 - Jan 25, 2025

Image
It's official! Christmas is here. With a traditional buffet meal and their always enjoyable holiday show, The Mill at Sonning has kicked off the season! White Christmas with its satisfyingly predictable story is all about the music and the dancing, and Director Jonathan O'Boyle does a brilliant job of taking a small stage and capturing the essence of a big film musical. The tale of two GIs who, following the war, become a famous double act, and who then team up with a pair of singing sisters to put on a show which will save the Vermont inn owned by their former commander, is as sweet as maple syrup. It certainly takes us back to a simpler, more optimistic time in America, and there's not a hint of irony anywhere. In this iteration of the classic, the cast dance up a storm with some terrific choreography from Gary Lloyd, and celebrate Irving Berlin's great song classics such as "White Christmas," "Blue Skies" and "Count Your Blessings." The...
Full Details »

Avenue Q ★★★★ Shaftesbury Theatre | Mar 20 - Aug 29, 2026

Image
Avenue Q first arrived on Broadway in 2003 and, the following year, won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. Now, twenty years after its London debut, it returns in a lightly updated production that retains the joy and warmth of the original. While some audience members will no longer know who Gary Coleman is, this Sesame-Street-for-adults show has lost none of its relevance. Its themes of underemployment, self-acceptance, mutual respect and the search for connection feel just as timely now as they did then. Sharp satire is wrapped in the velvet glove of a puppet-show-for-grown-ups and delivered with wit and affection rather than accusation. Songs such as “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” and “It Sucks to Be Me” continue to land well, presenting uncomfortable truths in a disarmingly approachable way. “The Internet is for Porn!” still earns knowing laughter, while “If You Were Gay” remains both funny and unexpectedly touching. The staging and...
Full Details »

Emmeline: The Suffragette Movement ★★★★★ The Cockpit | November 3 - 14, 2021

Image
Emmeline is Beatrice Hyde's confidently written debut play about the Suffragette movement and the family at its heart – the Pankhursts. The writing goes behind the usual well rehearsed stories and delves into the lives of a mother and her daughters. Georgie Rhys uses her superb voice to dominate proceedings as Emmeline. This is a tortured woman dedicated to her cause but also striving to be a caring parent. The large cast also features strong performances by Charlie Hansen as Sylvia and Lily-Fleur Bradbury as Christabel. However, it is the actual presentation of the play which is truly remarkable. Time and again, there are incredible visual moments as director, Anastasia Revi, creates breathtaking images, including a stunning depiction of a protest where the campaigners are brutally beaten by the police. The women are then imprisoned: the metaphor of placing their heads in bird cages struck us as a simple but inspired idea. The force feeding of one woman is terrifyingly realistic ...
Full Details »

Heart Wall ★★★★ Bush Theatre | Apr 7 - May 16, 2026

Image
After a year in London, twenty-three-year-old Franky returns to her small hometown in north west England. She intends to stay for the weekend, but her brief visit stretches far longer as secrets from both the present and the past begin to surface. Playwright Kit Withington has created a richly convincing cast of characters and demonstrates a keen ear for crisp, natural dialogue. The exchanges are warm, sharp and frequently very funny, drawing the audience in with ease. If the play has a weakness, it is that it takes rather a long time to arrive at the central secret that has fractured the family. Even then, the revelation feels somewhat telegraphed, and it is not entirely convincing that this long festering wound is only now being confronted. The themes of grief and family pain are handled with sensitivity, but they do seem to tread familiar ground. That said, the performances are uniformly strong. Rowan Robinson is appealing and endearing as Franky, while Olivia Forrest brings lively ...
Full Details »

ABBA Voyage ★★★★★ ABBA Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park | Extended Run

Image
When great music from the past meets mind boggling technology from the future, the result is ABBA Voyage . This is a concert like no other. In a purpose built arena designed specifically for the show, massive high resolution LED screens, advanced lighting, and surround sound are used to create a fully immersive ABBA concert experience. Although the group’s last appearance in London was at Wembley Arena in 1979, they return technologically in this extraordinary production. These are not holograms or AI generated performances. This is a meticulously animated concert based on real performances by the band themselves. To achieve this effect, the group came together and re-performed their music using motion capture technology. They partnered with top visual effects experts to digitally recreate their younger selves. While the show includes a live band and backup singers, the Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid seen on stage appear every bit as real as their original counterparts. One quick...
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings