Loveless Texas
Boomerang Theater Company presents a new musical inspired by Shakespeare’s 'Love’s Labour’s Lost' set in Texas during the Great Depression.
... Read more'Loveless Texas' tells the story of two brothers in 1920 Texas. The elder is King Navarre, responsible oil man and cattle rancher; the younger is Berowne Navarre, playboy and rascal. With the onset of the Great Depression, King hires Berowne and his college buddies Duke and Bubba, provided they swear off romance, drinking, carousing, and gambling. But when four intelligent and beautiful women arrive and demand an audience, all bets are off. 'Loveless Texas' features a score in a variety of traditional Americana styles, including swing, bluegrass, blues, Cajun waltz, two-step, and cowboy yodels.
- Official Site
- 2 hours and 40 minutes
- Already closed
- Sheen Center / Black Box Theater (East Village)
Cast & Creatives (23)
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Reviews (97)
11 Critics' Reviews
"A delicious, if overstuffed, puff pastry of a musical...The music is easy on the ears. Aronson...clearly knows how to write a catchy melody. He weaves them together in thrilling counterpoint...Heffernan's serviceable staging doesn't always compensate for a book that tends to drag...'Loveless Texas' could be a truly excellent musical with a bit more editing and some creative choreography. As it stands, 'Loveless' is a highly listenable musical romp." Full Review
“The latest entry in the Bardic song and dance catalogue is the…musically melodious but dramatically deficient ‘Loveless Texas’…It enjoys a wonderfully pleasant score by Henry Aronson…The singing is just fine, especially when in the hands of LaVergne's feisty Rosaline…Despite their expressive enthusiasm, several actors struggle to make their cardboard dialogue…and stereotypical characters believable. It's a shame Aronson didn't choose to write a sung-through adaptation.” Full Review
“Now as ‘Loveless Texas’ by Henry Aronson (music and lyrics) and Cailín Heffernan (libretto and direction) it has become a delightful country-western musical set in the Lone Star State during the Great Depression. Faithful to the original story, it has a high-powered cast made up mainly of Broadway and National Tour veterans and contains a foot-tapping score. Its only flaw is that at two hours and 40 minutes, it is overly long considering not a lot happens.” Full Review
“Heffernan’s libretto is full of holes...Distinctive personality and emotional moments are washed over…Heffernan’s direction doesn’t flesh out the characters. Choreography, however, is cute…Aronson writes appealing, head-bobbing Texas swing, bluegrass, Cajun waltz and two-step with clever lyrics–upbeat and ballad alike…There’s much here, but it’s overshadowed by other issues…Forty-five minutes could easily be cut…Voices are good; acting is mostly surface.” Full Review
"A fluffy and fun spin on the Bard’s tale...Heffernan’s book keeps the action movin’ along at a brisk clip. Heffernan, who also directed, seems to mesh nicely with Aronson’s style. At 2 hrs and 40 minutes however, the story could use a small bit of trimming. Pleasant, but slow ballads tend to bog down the action near the end. Still, this cast is superb and delivers good ole-fashioned country twang with energy and authenticity." Full Review
"Though overly long at two and a half hours, the good acting and singing from some Broadway talents and newcomers will lasso your admiration...While the book is so-so, Henry Aronson's music and lyrics are thoroughly sound. There are 19 musical numbers in all, with nary a dud among them...The ensemble acting is uniformly strong...'Loveless Texas,' in spite of its flaws, is well worth a visit." Full Review
"A lively, strong-voiced cast performs to a masterful script and set of knockout songs...Nearly every song in this musical is an exciting tour de force of music, lyrics, and vocal performance...'Loveless Texas' successfully pulls off a modernized American tale that reads like a perfect Shakespearean romance...Aronson and Heffernan have created a joyous, feel-good musical that gallops along like a Texas cowboy at a thrilling, exuberant pace." Full Review
"A toe-tapping musical comedy...Aronson’s country-western style music and lyrics do justice to the musical theater form. The songs heighten the mood of each scene, whether they be funny, pensive, or playful. The show features a live band which adds a wonderful touch to the toe-tapping, foot-stomping, make-you-get-up-and-dance hoedown that the show becomes at times...The cast are all exceptionally talented singers." Full Review
"'Loveless Texas' took an interesting twist on Shakespeare's 'Love's Labour's Lost' and made for a generally entertaining musical. The biggest issues with this modern restructuring of Shakespeare's classic were that it didn't take a big enough step away from the original in the over-arching plot. It became too predictable while creating too many subplots which became mired in unnecessary detail. Ultimately, the happy ending and the positive messages in the songs made for an enjoyable show." Full Review
“A barnyard-raising show with unflagging energy…There are too many songs...These people are constantly and inappropriately breaking out into song…This production hovers on the edge of greatness by virtue of its marvelous production values and performances. Though the ‘choreography’ is quite bad, Heffernan's direction is solid…If this show wants to fly, it needs to pare down on the interminable singing and focus on the songs that really matter.” Full Review
“'Loveless, Texas' is an evening of country-western and traditional singing loosely strung together with a story…A melodrama about characters that don’t have clear motivations past money and marriage. The women are weakened from Shakespeare’s version…Aronson’s songs are written in a variety of styles, often with clever lyrical turns. Unfortunately, in most cases, the music is not served by the script and the script is not served by the music…All of the singing is superb.” Full Review
86 Members' Reviews
See it if Want a light and fun and small production of a Shakespeare play updated as a musical. Make great use of the limited space.
Don't see it if Wish to see Shakespeare as a traditional play.
See it if you like plays/musical based on Shakespeare comedies, toe-tapping country-western numbers, very talented actors/singers and a great band,
Don't see it if you do not like upbeat country-western songs, Shakespeare-based romantic comedies updated to the 20th century, and cutesy pairings at end.
See it if You enjoy fluffy musicals that root their stories in classic texts.
Don't see it if Are hoping for a story that is faithful to its root story. Also it is a long musical that could be trimmed.
See it if you enjoy new musicals in a traditional format w/ a big cast of multitalented performers, many of them young & just starting out.
Don't see it if you prefer cutting edge theatre, don't like traditional musicals, & /or are expecting to see a musical version of "Love's Labour's Lost."
See it if you're in the mood for a light musical or if you know Shakespeare's play and can enjoy spotting the parallels
Don't see it if you don't enjoy Country/Western music as the score is a series of variations on Country Western themes
Also The musical's first act is fun as it comes up with some interesting wa... Read more Read less
See it if you want to see a entertaining and very moving musical based on a Shakespearean comedy set in Texas in 1929
Don't see it if you like short shows (it is 2 1/2 hours long), and don't see it if you hate country music or a complicated plot.
See it if you want to see a 2:40 hour fun musical in depression era Texas/Louisiana loosely based on Love's Labor Lost with great songs and acting.
Don't see it if you are not into long musicals that are silly, predictable but fun.
See it if you like Love's Labour storyline, country music, happy endings, star power vocals
Don't see it if your ears hurt from very HIGH songs, long musicals get to you (3 hours long!)
See it if like shows loaded with pretty but not necessarily memorable songs and with and/or shows with lots of romance.
Don't see it if you don't like shows with too many songs or that are set in the old West.
See it if you want a good old fashion musical with lots of singing and dancing where the guy gets the girl in the end, performed by a cast of merit.
Don't see it if you're looking for something modern, edgy or avant garde.
Also The amplification of the actors seemed unnecessary in a theater of thi... Read more Read less
See it if If u love musicals, great music, singing and staging.
Don't see it if U can't seat over 2 hours or need to see perfect choreography and dancing skills.
See it if you like good community theater by an earnest cast with some decent singers. This is waaay too long and lacks nuance, but has some charm.
Don't see it if don't enjoy country, twangy show tunes, broad performances & poorly managed audio in a small space. There's lots of repetition. I got bored.
Also This never engaged me, but their hearts were in the right place.... Read more Read less
See it if you want to see a new work that has potential. The singing is excellent.
Don't see it if you don't enjoy new works/workshops. The direction and acting are weak, generally speaking.
See it if you love musicals - the singing was quite good .I especially liked the energy and singing of Joe Joseph who played Berowne.
Don't see it if are expecting a musical with an interesting plot - the story goes on for too long and is repetitive
Also The music mix was uneven throughout and often competed with those sing... Read more Read less
See it if you appreciate great performances from a talented cast despite a plot that is hard to follow. Most of the songs are upbeat and lively.
Don't see it if you insist on a show that is fully polished and easy to understand.
See it if you enjoy musicals, especially country music. There is a wealth of new music here, mostly well sung and acted with interesting staging.
Don't see it if you expect a refined production. It runs long with the song lyrics repeated and a band that sometimes is a bit too loud.
See it if You don't have anything else to do.
Don't see it if You expect some good country or blue grass music and dancing.
See it if You enjoy community theater and an energetic young cast who tries their best.
Don't see it if Poorly acted, poorly sung, confusing plot, lifeless and plodding musical. Way too long. Needs over one hour of cuts.
See it if To see young talents earning their chops. Pleasant Non-twangy country music. Slightly overstuffed but some good ideas.
Don't see it if You think small spaces require no body mikes. You don't want to be hammered by the unsubtle overly loud on stage band. Predictable plotting
Also A minor Shakespeare. Somehow I expected to hew a bit closer to Shakesp... Read more Read less
See it if you enjoy musicals featuring country western music, romantic plot, cute costumes, and cheerful actors.
Don't see it if you dislike any of the above; you can't stand uneven performances, bad sound tech, corny plots.
Also With some editing and more even performances, better sound engineer, t... Read more Read less
See it if A fun musical take on a Shakespeare play. Cutting 30- 45 minutes out of the draggy first act would help. The 2nd act is a delight.
Don't see it if Long first acts leave you with aching body parts
See it if You like a LOT of melodrama. I wanted to like this so badly, it's a great concept and some of the songs are really good. But...
Don't see it if You want a good story. It is banal- boring, & even confusing. The acting is uneven and often over the top. It was frustrating to sit through
See it if A decent musical c&w adaptation of Love's Labours Lost with some fine talent but technical problems: too many songs, too much repetition &..
Don't see it if ...not enough development. Don't do routines if your actors can't dance! Still, a nice entertainment for a reasonable price.
See it if musical theatre adaptations of obscure Shakespeare are in your wheelhouse, talented cast sings the **** out of the score, attractive staging
Don't see it if musical adaptations of Shakespeare would not appeal to you, unedited material drags the show down, seems a distraction from the storyline