Review: My Life As A Cowboy (Omnibus Theatre)

Review by Dan Sinclair

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Country and Western is back with a vengeance. Beyoncé is on it, Dolly Parton is still blessing us with her mortal presence on this earth, Shania played Glastonbury and The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders might be the best thing on Netflix. This deep-fried renaissance is the subject of Hugo Timbrell’s new play, My Life As A Cowboy. Originally part of the 2022 Vault Festival, it was picked up by the Park Theatre for their Come What May Festival, and now receives a run at the Omnibus Theatre. 

Conor is 17, bored, working as a lifeguard, and living in Croydon with his mum Karen. But he longs for something greater, something… American. The biggest event of the year is coming up, Croydon Peoples Day where the best act gets a meeting with Leona Lewis’ US agent. Conor recruits his best friend Zainab to choreograph a country and western dance which will surely bowl over the judges. During his job as a lifeguard, Conor meets Michael, a man that can be best described as heterosexual. As a closeted Johnny Cash fan, upon hearing Conor’s plan he invites himself on board as their songwriter. Out with Shania, in with Michael and his ballad about peeing in the pool. Can the three of them put aside their differences and clinch the coveted prize of 1st place at Croydon Peoples Day? It’s a classic coming-of-age format, strongly reminiscent of Tom Well’s Broken Biscuits. A bunch of oddballs trying to find superstardom before life gets a bit too real and scary. 

As our titular cowboy Conor, Harry Evans is endlessly energetic, quick on their toes and has a fantastic physical presence (not forgetting their two-step talents of course). Their performance did at times feel a bit too… performative, whether this was a directorial choice or a writing decision, I wish it had been addressed in the script as it felt like there were moments where this characterisation could’ve been used in more interesting ways, especially in scenes with their heterosexual counterpart, Michael. All that being said, Evans is a charming and hilarious performer.

Conor’s bestie, Zainab, played by Nusrath Tapadar, gives a truly natural performance, making the friendship with Conor a real treat. When not speaking, Tapadar acts with her face better than most I’ve seen. Her expressions create some of the strongest comedic moments in the play. I do wish her character had been given a bit more to do - for example, the breakup of her friendship with Conor firmly felt like a one-way problem. Then to our final character, Michael played by Callum Broome. I’ll be honest, Michael was the highlight of the show for me. He gets some cracking lines which are expertly delivered by Broome. 

I really wanted to love the climactic ending scene - the performance at Croydon Peoples Day, but it just didn’t feel as joyful as it should. I feel that this is in part due to the rushed resolution of Conor and Zainab’s friendship. The play takes us to a point where we aren’t really rooting for Conor anymore and almost wish that Zainab wouldn’t forgive him and leave Conor to dance on his own, after all he didn’t really apologise. Whilst a bit unsatisfying, the ending choreography from Sara Dos Santos is perfect. It’s amateurish, a bit disjointed, and so clearly shows us three teenagers having the time of their lives. 

Ultimately, everything gets smoothed over by some shimmer curtains, a genuinely hilarious song about weeing in the pool and some Shania Twain. It’s queer, camp, and a fun 70 minutes in the most comfortable theatre seats I’ve ever felt in my life. And to top it off, it compelled me to go on a Dolly Parton binge and listen to Here You Come Again on the way home. So all in all, a lovely night. 

My Life As A Cowboy is showing at the Omnibus Theatre until 8th September.

Tickets can be found here: https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/my-life-as-a-cowboy/ 

Photos by Henri T