By Ranjit Shergill
The ever-evolving gentrification of south of the River Thames, in this instance, Elephant & Castle, has led to the Southwark Playhouse Theatre in London hosting prime musicals, in the form of Midnight Cowboys. Indeed, this production is an adaptation of the novel written by James Leo Herlihy and the 1969 movie starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.
The main characters in the musical are Rico (aka Ratso) Rizzo, played by Max Bowden, most famously known for his spell as Ben Mitchell in Eastenders! and Joe Buck, played by Paul Jacob French, a WhatsOneStage Award Nominee. Their relationship in the musical can be likened to that of Harry and Marv in Home Alone 3; two hopeless charmers that are as thick as thieves. Joe Buck thinks he is coming to a New York that is the city of hope, dreams and glory, but quickly realises it’s a city of mere survival at best. The phrase often coined as ‘Gold Bless America’ more so resembles ‘God Save America’, such is the plight these individuals find themselves in.
The main characters in the musical are Rico (aka Ratso) Rizzo, played by Max Bowden, most famously known for his spell as Ben Mitchell in Eastenders! and Joe Buck, played by Paul Jacob French, a WhatsOneStage Award Nominee. Their relationship in the musical, can be likened to that of Harry and Marv in Home Alone 3; two hopeless charmers that are as thick as thieves. Joe Buck thinks he is coming to New York, the city of hope, dreams and glory, but quickly realises it’s a city of mere survival at best. The phrase often coined as ‘Gold Bless America’ more so resembles ‘God Save America’, such is the plight these individuals find themselves in.
Joe Buck starts life off in New York as a Gigolo, only to find that initially he is the one providing handouts to his clients off the back off sob stories, rather than being remunerated for the services he provided! Instead of the Big Apple, it was very much a Rotting Apple!
Thereafter, it gets worse for Joe, when he firstly stumbles across Ratso in a local bar. Ratso provides him what he thinks is a lead for greater job opportunities, but it turns out to be yet another scam, which has resulted in Joe departing with more money. Yes, for those familiar with Eastenders, it was like watching Ben Mitchell reborn in this musical, such was the plethora of hustles he and his father committed in the longstanding soap. A furious Joe confronts Ratso, and soon realises that Ratso is far from an effective con-artist, when seeing the extent of filthy accommodation he resides in. Indeed, it was tantamount to squatting and soon leads to multiple coughs, sneezes and bad odour stemming from such uninhabitable conditions.
The choreography and lyrics throughout the performance demonstrated a story of the place and state both characters find themselves in, one of trying to stay upbeat amidst all the chaos.
As the story unfolds, they seek out further opportunities to make a quick buck. However, it is one buck too few, and it is not long before Ratso sells the Miami dream to Joe, with sun and sumptuous provisions on offer. Sadly, the journey ends before Miami with the demise of Ratso, to conclude a complex and confiding friendship between the two dreamers.
To witness clumsy comedy crooks perform as Midnight Cowboys, click here
