“The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

Recommended *** There is a saying that in a two-act play, the first act introduces the characters, but the second act is the story that the playwright really wants to tell. So is the case with “The Virginian”, a sprightly Western that tells the tale of a cowboy from Virginia who travels to Wyoming and becomes the “boss man” in tracking down cattle rustlers. There he meets his fellow cowboys as well as his love interest, a schoolteacher from Vermont. But it is only when he is severely injured, almost killed, in fighting off the rustlers that her affections for him grow. This world premiere adaptation based on Owen Wister’s 1902 novel “is said to have established the Western genre of narrative fiction and the cowboy ideal as an American icon.” The original novel romanticized the Wild West. There are the “good guys” versus the “bad guys”, the occasional game of poker and drinking of whiskey, and the climactic showdown, where the gunslingers fire their weapons.

The best part is the acting by Robert Hunter Bry, who credibly channels The Virginian; I cannot think of anybody else more suited for the role! His mannerisms, gestures, way of speaking, and emotions could not be more perfect! What impressive casting! Liz Falstreau, who plays the part of Molly, is an excellent counterpart. Carrie Hardin, the vocal coach must be commended in getting Bry, Falstreau, and all the other actors to speak so naturally in 19th century English. In addition to the fine acting, another highlight of the show is the artwork. Ray Toler’s sets are well-designed though simple. But above all, the papier mâché horses designed by Steven Widerman and The Puppet Company are exceptional. It was a joy seeing the puppets move with equestrian-like behavior, thanks to a crew made up of Adèle Watel, Linsey Falls, Sarah Franzel, and David Weisenhahn (dressed all in black). And it was fun watching how convincingly the actors rode their three-quarters-size steeds throughout the performance. LaVisa Williams’ 19th century costume design is more than appropriate: from the frilly blouses that the women wore to the threads sported by the Western-themed cowboys. The most impressive touch was listening to a live cellist playing background music. Kelsee Vandervall is perfect in her execution of the instrumentals, which she composed, compiled, and arranged herself—and which might have accompanied motion pictures without sound from the late 19th through the early 20th century.

This brings up the major downside of the production: While the adapted script by L.C. Bernadine and Spencer Hoffman is very good, the presentation as it now stands is much better suited for a movie than a play. The story has a number of threads, each broken down into a large number of scenes, which weave together to form a whole. Unfortunately, having too many scenes (and for that matter, too many characters) drags down the whole performance. It means far too many set changes, which breaks up the fluidity of the account. And while the constant movement of backdrops and settings is done very efficiently and is initially quite amusing, the time doing all this eventually adds up. Hence the script needs some revision to consolidate the scenes and better focus the story. Furthermore, the relatively small stage at City Lit Theater does not lend itself to a cinematic perspective inherent to the Western genre. While there are lots of backdrops of mountains and trails, these sets become repetitive and start to look more amateurish over time. Initially, the campiness adds to the show’s charm—especially when the prop horses are being used—but producing this kind of show in a rather confined space makes it seem campier than it ought to be. Using a considerably larger stage could have helped in broadening the scope of the cinematography and allowing for various scenes to take place on different parts of the stage, with floodlights turned on and off as the action progressed. This way, the myriad of set changes might not be so jarring. Another possibility would be to include some form of projection design. Of course, this would make for a totally different type of production.

Despite having to track the relatively large number of characters (I counted well over fifteen), the audience can most definitely follow this action-adventure. But most of the adventure portion has to reside in our imagination because of the limitations of the relatively confined space. All that being said, the show is entertaining and cleverly drawn. It is well-acted, and the musical accompaniment is fantastic. And while the audience can more or less guess where the story is heading, it is not necessarily predictable. It is not that the narrative follows a formula but, rather, the reverse: that succeeding novels and movies have followed in this vein. I would most certainly recommend seeing this performance, if only for watching the brilliance of Bry’s acting, enjoying the cleverness of the puppetry, and gaining some perspective on the humble origins of the archetypal American Western.

“The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains”, produced and directed by Terry McCabe, is playing through February 26, 2002, at the City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Chicago (second floor of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church).

Single tickets are $34; seniors $29; students and military $12 (plus all applicable fees)

Performance schedule:

Fridays and Saturdays – 7:30 p.m.
Sundays – 3:00 p.m.
Mondays February 7 and 14 – 7:30 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please go to https://www.citylit.org/ or phone 773-293-3682.

Please note that City Lit Theater Company requires all audience members to be fully vaccinated in order to attend. Proof of vaccination is required at the door. As of Feb. 1, 2022, if more than 6 months have elapsed since your second shot of a two-shot vaccine series (or one shot of a one-shot vaccine series), a booster shot is also required to attend performances. Everyone at City Lit is (or will be) fully vaccinated by the time of a scheduled performance. For more information about this and other COVID-19 related matters, turn to https://www.citylit.org/covid

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at ” The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains”.