One of the best things about going to the theatre is the opportunity to see talented performers at the top of their game as well as experiencing things you may not have ever encountered before. This past Friday Pioneer Theatre Company gave audiences a healthy dose of both with the premiere of “Cowgirls” which provided the rare opportunity to see a musical that was performed by an extremely talented all female cast that put on quite a show.
In addition to an all female cast “Cowgirls” was entirely conceived and created by Mary Murfitt and based on a book by Betsy Howrie as well as being directed by Karen Azenberg which make it the rare production that is entirely female driven. “Cowgirls” is a musical comedy that follows the down on her luck Jo (played by Leenya Rideout) who has hired what she thinks is a country musical trio she hopes will help save her father’s once famous saloon, Hiram Hall, out of a financial crisis. What she finds instead is that she has inadvertently hired a classical trio who also happens to be down on their luck.
The best part of the musical is watching worlds collide as the classically trained Coghill Trio of Mary Lou (played by Angela Chatelain Avila), Lee (played by Jessica Bradish) and Rita (played by Lindsay Zaroogian) try their best to go from classical to country overnight with varying degrees of success as part of their transformation into the Cowgirl Trio.
The cast of “Cowgirls” did much more than just look good in a cowgirl hat as the musical required a cast that was capable of wearing many different types of theatrical hats. Every member of the cast had to be able to act, sing, dance and even play their own instruments on stage which is part of what made “Cowgirls” such an impressive production. It simply is a delight to see these talented actresses go from delivering a perfectly timed line to playing an instrument like a pro all in one sequence.
With a plot that is paper thin and musical numbers that are often bland what makes “Cowgirls” work as well as it does is an extremely talented and energetic cast that is clearly having a great time on stage and their enthusiasm is catching. Karis Danish (who plays the role of Mickey) perfectly captures the heart and soul of a country girl with razor sharp wit that she uses to deliver some of the best lines of the night. Zaroogian is arguably the best part of the production with her ability to sing and play the piano beautifully while still displaying comedic acting chops that make it easy to imagine her starring on a television sitcom.
It’s irresistibly entertaining to watch the Coghill Trio conquer their own preconceived notions about country music and lose themselves in the joy of learning something new as they successfully fuse classical music with country music on their way to becoming the Cowgirl Trio. The result is a finely tuned musical production that hits all the right notes and makes for an absolutely delightful evening at the theatre.