Review
I Married Wyatt Earp
Music by Michele Brourman; Directed by Cara Reichel
Produced by Prospect Theater Company
BOTTOM LINE: The immense amount of talent in this show fortunately eclipses the somewhat underdeveloped material.
I Married Wyatt Earp attempts to give the women of the Old West a few hours in the spotlight by following the story of Josie Marcus (Mishaela Faucher), a young woman who left home against her mother’s wishes to follow her love, Wyatt Earp, out west, by way of performing in one sketchy theater after another. Structurally, I Married Wyatt Earp feels like two separate productions. There is a story about the strong women of the Old West which is spirited and occasionally engaging, and a latter day catch up with two of the women, which is far less charming.
Josie’s story as a young woman is told through a series of flashbacks while her older self (Carolyn Mignini), along with the older Allie Earp (Heather MacRae), get together for an evening of reminiscing and rehashing as they debate how their story should be used in a movie. The present day scenes are largely irrelevant. They serve as a narrative for the more involved flashback scenes, but the adage “show don’t tell” came to mind every time they'd begin to narrate. The switch back and forth between the present and the past felt clunky to me: the music, pace and style of the two worlds are subtly different but don’t mesh together well. Somewhat ironically, these present scenes felt the most stale and dated. The flashbacks are much fresher and more exciting to watch.
The show's often catchy music offers a nice blend in style between country western and musical theater. No one song stands out in particular, but it serves the show well. The hands down highlight of I Married Wyatt Earp is, however, the cast, who completely outshines the material. Stephanie Palumbo as young Allie Earp is a distinct standout. She brings a sweet allure to the somewhat tough role of Wild West woman, and her dulcet voice offers a richness to every note she touches.
Although the show has a cast of roughly a dozen women and zero men, and is about the historical lives of women, don’t go in expecting a production that's empowering to women. In fact, the major weakness of this show is that it’s quite the opposite. This piece isn’t about Josie Earp, it’s about the woman who married Wyatt Earp. Even though the women are the only characters we see (barring a cameo man here or there, played by a woman), the play is really about the men that they circle their lives around. Josie Earp has a story to tell: she was a Jewish woman who left her comfortable life in San Francisco to join a theater troupe (which is less glamorous than it sounds), travel, move west, earn a major role in the gunfight at the OK Corrall, and live her own interesting life, but this show isn’t about that so much as it is about the men in the lives of Josie and the other women within her story. The fact that she leaves San Francisco is glossed over; she leaves her home town for a man, she causes strife with her new-found family in Tombstone because of a man, she fights with her co-workers because of a man, and in the end she argues with her sister-in-law Allie because of a man. Whatever the intent of casting only women and only exploring the women’s lives is moot, because as it stands, it’s still about the men.
Those with an extreme fondness for the Old West or Wyatt Earp’s story may find this new musical a worthy evening of theater, but those seeking a new take on an old story should probably look elsewhere.
(I Married Wyatt Earp plays at 59E59 Theatres, 59 East 59th Street, through June 12, 2011. Performances are Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:15PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:15PM and Sundays at 3:15PM. Tickets are $25 and are available through Ticket Central by calling 212.279.4200 or by visiting 59e59.org.)