Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Writer/Director: Billie Esplen
“Pleasant – But, Boring“
2.5 / 5
Noa and Nina are 17 years old and desperate for something interesting to happen in their humdrum lives. Outside of school, they’re not the partying type, have never been kissed and spend more time daydreaming about exciting things rather than actually doing them. To escape the monotony, they decide to pen an idea for a Hollywood movie filled with all of the romance and drama they don’t experience themselves –plus cowboys, because what love story is complete without a cowboy?!
Cowboys and Lesbians was brilliantly received by the audience – so I’m definitely in the minority of admitting I personally thought it was pretty lacklustre. I found the conversations between Noa and Nina to be really dull and spent the show yearning for the storyline to be elevated with a little bit more drama or plot outside of just banal conversations about school or what their lives could be. There is too much time focused on uninteresting filler conversations that don’t really lead anywhere other than to reinforce how boring they are and how little excitement they have in their lives. This is something that was established very early on in the show, so didn’t need to keep being elaborated on, as it just sucked any life out of the storyline that could have made it a bit more engaging.
When the pair aren’t fawning over their teacher or complaining about the perils of adolescence, they spend their time dreaming up an idea for a Western romance movie – which also misses the mark for me slightly. It would work better if the cowboy storyline could be better fleshed out, as most of the mildly comedic moments came from the actors rather than the script itself. While the cowboy storyline works well as a vessel for Noa (Georgia Vyvyan) to discover that she has feelings for women, specifically Nina (Julia Pilkington), it would still be more enjoyable if it could also be a standalone story, or at least captivating enough to warrant anything longer than a short sketch to get the point across.
Vyvyan and Pilkington are both charming on stage and do well over-exaggerating the stereotypical romance tropes and cliché mannerisms for comic effect. The enjoyable moments in the show come from the shy awkwardness within the duo and the hidden romantic tension that hangs over their friendship. Pilkington in particular is wonderfully believable and really drives home the natural realism within the story. The scenes are very routine – quick chat between Noa and Nina at school, before they scuttle off stage to act out a brief scene in the Western, which is repeated throughout the show. There is one scene where both universes blur together and the Western characters reveal themselves to Noa and Nina in an attempt to snap them out of their daydreams and help them see what’s right in front of them. This really helped to add an extra layer to bridge the two stories together and added the creativity that had lacked earlier on in the show.
Overall, how realistic and relatable parts of the story are, potentially is also the reason I couldn’t quite feel engaged, no matter how much I really tried to enjoy it. There is nothing outside of normal conversations and as the characters self-proclaim, adolescence is already boring as it is, so although a pleasant enough show – there wasn’t enough oomph for me for it to remain memorable, which is a shame because the unique premise had initially been so intriguing.
Runs Until 9 March 2024
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