The 2010 season continues at the Drayton Festival Theatre with a fun-filled honky tonk romp that will have the audience tappin’ its toes ’til the cows come home.
The award-winning musical comedy Cowgirls runs for three weeks only beginning Aug. 11.
Described as “a joyous slapstick hoe-down,” Cowgirls focuses on a trio of classically trained female musicians that is mistakenly booked to play a country western concert hall in Kansas.
The owner of the club, Jo Carlson, must raise enough money during the weekend to pay off debtors, or the hall will be closed. Though mostly unfamiliar with country music, the trio convinces Jo and her employees, Mickey and Mo, to allow them the chance to transform themselves into legitimate cowgirls in time for the first performance. Can they become more Shania than Chopin?
The show bends music and comedy through such memorable numbers as Honky Tonk Girl, Saddle Tramp Blues, Songs My Mama Sang, and From Chopin to Country.
“Cowgirls is a light-hearted clash of musical cultures that is sure to entertain,” said Drayton Entertainment artistic director Alex Mustakas.
“I am thrilled to present this charming production in the quaint country setting of the Drayton Festival Theatre, which is a fitting backdrop for this beloved musical.”
The production is directed by Robert More, the artistic director of the Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia. More is no stranger to Drayton Entertainment, having previously directed Man of La Mancha at the Drayton Festival Theatre in 2007.
Cowgirls features Cathy Elliott as spirited saloon owner Jo, Keely Hutton as pregnant pianist Rita, Ann O’Kane as new-age cellist Lee, and Lizzie Kurtz as prudish violinist Mary Lou, with Heather-Lea Brown and Gabi Epstein as the bar staff, and aspiring singers, Mickey and Mo.
The six musicians play everything from piano, cello and violin and to banjo, harmonica and mandolin.
Cowgirls is a refreshing comedy that reminds everyone to let loose and have fun. The show opened Off-Broadway in 1996, and was nominated for best off-Broadway musical by the Outer Critics’ Circle.
Cowgirls plays eight shows a week Aug. 11 through 28. Order tickets by calling the box office at 519-638-5555 or toll free at 1-888-449-4463.
To find out more about the 2010 season, visit www.draytonfestivaltheatre.com.
