 Cowgirls
Conceived by Mary Murfitt,
book by Betsy Howie,
music and lyrics by Mary Murfitt.
Minetta Lane Theatre, Off Broadway April 1, 1996
Synopsis
If "practise" is the way to get to Carnegie Hall, how could
one possibly end up at Hiram Hall, a country music palace, in Rexford,
Kansas?
Jo is in a pickle: she has 24 hours to save Hiram Hall, her father's
country/western saloon in Rexford, Kansas, from foreclosure. Although
the Hall has seen better days, she's determined to keep it open, but how?
What will pack in the crowds? Mickey, Jo's hard-livin' wise-crackin' waitress
has just been dyin' to get up on that stage and prove that she's got what
it takes to make it as a singer, and Mo, Jo's cook/cashier, is right behind
her. That's all well and good, but Jo has other plans: she wants cowgirls
and she's booked the Cowgirl Trio, sure it will save the saloon. But there
is no Cowgirl Trio; a misunderstanding on the phone brings to Rexford
the Coghill Trio: Rita, Lee and Mary Lou, classical musicians, currently
on a reunion tour. Jo isn't looking for classical music but the Coghill
Trio are looking for a legitimate booking (as Mary Lou says, "where are
we playing next ... Monty Hall?"). These six women surely mix like oil
and water: Jo could have had a brilliant career as a country singer herself,
but she gave up her dream to run her daddy's business; Mickey needs one
more chance to sing or all her dreams will slip away; Mo can't bear to
think that Jo might lose the place and will do anything to help her keep
it; Rita planned the current tour because she and her husband are about
to have their first child and she's not sure she'll ever perform again;
Lee, always searching, has begun to feel like she's never going to find
what she's looking for, and feels they should give Hiram Hall a chance;
Mary Lou, just about to bust from following rules all her life, can't
stand the fact that this isn't a real booking, and feels her career is
doomed. Fate must have brought these six women together and they side
out - it's classical versus country. Can they meet in the middle? Sure
thing and darn tootin', and when Jo proudly presents to the public the
Cowgirl Trio, you bet your bottom dollar that it razes the root! |