With a humorous journey of self-discovery, all the spectacle of a musical and an Old West setting, the most recent Pioneer Theatre Company production, “Cowgirls,” promises to be an entertaining and fun time for all.
The show, which runs from March 25 through April 9, focuses on the journey of Jo Carlson (Leenya Rideout), who is trying to save her father’s formerly famous country western saloon by booking the Coghill Trio. She believes them to be a country music ensemble when they are, in fact, a classical musical trio. The result is a fantastically humorous series of events as the musicians frantically try to transform themselves into the Cowgirl Trio.
Rather than randomly bursting into song, the premise of a band of musicians means the music and use of it is embedded deep into the plot, making it feel more natural than other musicals. Jessica Bradish, who plays one of the members of the Coghill band, said this is one of the most interesting parts of the show.
“It’s thrilling to watch a show where all the actors also play instruments and you actually get to watch as musicians learn to play new instruments, which is very much part of the plot,” Bradish said.
Bradish herself followed the path of her character in learning to play a new instrument. While she learned at a young age to play the piano, and can play the guitar and violin, she had no experience with the cello, her character’s signature instrument. Within a month, she had to learn to play and play competently. Bradish said she loved the challenge of learning enough about the cello to make it seem like she was proficient and it was part of what made it such a fun production.
“When I was out in New York they rented me a cello and I took a bunch of lessons and learned to play the cello for the show,” Bradish said. “You’re probably never going to be completely prepared for what they’re going to ask you to do but it’s exciting to be able to push your boundaries and learn new things.”
Fortunately, Bradish only needed to learn how to play three specific cello pieces — the rest of the time she stayed on the guitar.
Other than the thrill of seeing this musical trickery, the joy of this musical comes from seeing the women bond over their common goal of using music to save the saloon.
“It’s really a show about women finding an inner strength and finding that sort of pioneer spirit and taking leaps that you’re not necessarily comfortable with,” Bradish said. “It’s very meaningful especially for younger people to watch these women go on this journey where they keep growing and experiencing new things.”
“Cowgirls” is the product of Bessie Howie, with music and lyrics coming from Mary Murfitt.
Tickets for “Cowgirls” are on sale online at www.pioneertheatre.org and at the Pioneer Theatre box office. U Students can get tickets for around $5 during the “Student Rush,” the hour before any performance.
@wyldmayan