ScotsGay Magazine

***

This is the story of handsome hustler, Joe Buck, and his unconventional relationship with crippled con man Ratso Rizzo. Of course, cowboys are all the rage thanks to Brokeback's success, so the adaptation of another flick featuring fringe jackets and gayish themes should ensure this play's success. Tim Fountain has taken the novel by James Leo Herlihy, largely ignored it, and partially redrafted the movie. But there are some nice new touches from the Sex Addict writer - the use of radio broadcasts that depict short news reports of Nixon's troubles, and the Stonewall riots help pace the play.

The two leads are absolutely terrific. However, when Buck and Rizzo first meet, the latter tries to con the former, indeed, the two protagonists despise each other. Where this play fails is that we see no gradual change depicted, or for that matter, any reason for their initial animosity to transform. And if you are paying £20 a pop, you don't expect a 2 hour play to under run by 40 minutes, when the main point of the story isn't adequately put before you.

Martin Walker

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