Cody and Beau: A Wild West Story at Jack Studio Theatre Review
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review. All views are our own
Set in Gonzales, Texas in 1889, two teenage lads dream of being cowboys. When they put away their childhood games to venture into the actual Wild West, reality proves to be a bit tougher than their magazines led them to believe.
This debut collaboration from Dylan Kaeuper and William Grice was well received at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe and now rides into (South London) town for a run at the Jack Studio Theatre.
As we enter the auditorium, Cody (Kaeuper) is at the centre of a sparse stage playing with his cowboy figurines on a wooden box. There are pages from cowboy comic books pinned to the back of the set and a few bits and pieces lying around. Cody is fully engrossed in the story he’s playing out with his little action figures. Beau (Grice) enters and sets the scene before taking centre stage to recreate the final moments of a Spelling Bee. We’re told about some of the locals sitting out in the audience – fellow students, shop owners, public figures and the “Susie Twins” one’s wild and the other not so much. These characters effectively set the rather mundane, small town scene, in which a spelling bee is the height of excitement.
The first half of the play is staged in one of the boys’ bedrooms, with the script nicely setting up the story. They’re dreaming of freedom, fighting Indians and heading out into the desert to track down the hero from their comic books, the legendary outlaw Billy the Kid (they don’t believe he died at Fort Sumner, he’s just lying low!). Their banter feels very natural, almost improvised in places. They bicker but their bond is strong enough that we don’t worry that they will fall out. Cody appears to be the leader but whilst Beau is happy to follow, he’s the details man for their “Master Plan”. Key to the plan is retrieving a map made by the aforementioned Susie Twins and we enjoy an entertaining foray out in the middle of the night with great physical acting as the lads navigate a sleeping parent, squeaky floorboards and an unexpected dog. It’s well written and executed by the talented duo.
Once Cody and Beau set off on their adventure, the tone of the play changes as reality kicks in. Good use of lighting takes us out into the desert, and wide-eyed enthusiasm turns into wide-eyed horror as the teens are confronted with enemies, real and imagined. The narrative structure feels a little weaker for the second half of the piece, we learn a little of the boys’ backgrounds but not enough to fully empathise with their bid for freedom.
There’s good use of music to accompany the action - from the motif you’d hear in a movie as cowboys face off in a saloon to an evocative version of World War II classic “I’ll Be Seeing You” - adding to the atmosphere without needing to be fully rooted in the late 19th century.
Kaeuper and Grice work very well together – with great chemistry and an easy, close friendship between the characters clear from the start. They don’t quite pull off the Texan drawl but we can excuse a geographically untraceable accent creeping in from time to time as their characters are engaging and full of youthful charm and an air of innocence.
Cody and Beau is an entertaining Wild West story, but does not quite live up to its early promise. It isn’t completely clear what the story is that it’s trying to tell. There are some impressive sequences, some great fun comic relief and a strong, dramatic climax that really allows the actors to show us what they can do, but in places the energy dips a bit and the dialogue feels a little self-conscious rather than natural. But, it’s a good debut from this talented pair who clearly have a bright future ahead as theatre makers.
Cody and Beau: A Wild West Story runs at the Jack Studio Theatre until Saturday 25th April. Find out more and book here.
★★★