The Cowboy Soul Contest Rehearsal

Charming and funny! Incredible talent. Each character is unique and the plot goes in delightfully unanticipated directions.... full review

Five stars for a this wonderful play-the interesting stories told by each actor made me laugh and left me wanting more! Kudos Maria Pavone and cast!... full review

The language is rich! The humour is great! The music is great! The characters are funny! The actors do a great job of making those characters come to life! The usage of the space is clever. Very entertaining!!... full review

The Cowboy Soul Contest Rehearsal is one of the funniest short plays I have ever seen. An excellent cast with great comedic timing makes the most of the script. In particular Michael Allen's humble assistant character, who manages to somehow convey a heartfelt story while speaking complete gibberish. The musical bits are standout that will stay in your head after you leave. Only 1 hour long, this show had the packed audience cracking up. If you get a chance, see this show!... full review

Yes the space was small (as other reviewers have noted) however the play, once it got started, was so engaging, I did not really notice it. It was a very unusual premise, and I did not know what to expect when I arrived -- but I am very pleased that I was there to see what the ensemble created in that small stage. Particularly by Michael Allen (who was both the play's director and performed in the role of Bodhi) and by Samantha Barrios as the inebriated ingenue who is way way over the top in all respects. The acting is first rate but I must mention that in order for the performers to create their magic, the writing and the imagination necessary to make this play viable needs to exist first. I do not know where Ms Pavone got her idea for this... full review

What a treat to see this play. It is extremely timely considering contemporary support for poetry slams (cowboy or otherwise), and the Moth series/stories on NPR. 'Cowboy Soul' is a parody on Moth, on ego vs. searching for sincerity through the public sharing of (supposedly) personal experience. There is poetry in this play, humor, surprises, heart and music (literally). The venue is small, but works--although I hope this play finds a bigger home in the future. It's worth it. 60 minutes can either last a lifetime or zoom by--and thanks to the engaging writing of M. Nasorri Pavone and a solid cast (Michael Keith Allen keeps the contest moving along with an accent that can't be missed), 60 minutes went by in a blink and I could have easily had... full review

This was a weird one for me. First the pros. The house was packed! They needed to add seats and the space was small (basically it felt like a classroom). The performances were good and I especially like the foreign intern, Honeylamb and the only real cowboy of the bunch (with the guitar - contestant #5) Now the cons - I guess this is some sort of contest and it was fixed. It was basically 7 different stories with no real connection except it was presented as part of a radio show? A contest? Not exactly sure what the premise was. There seemed to be a director and a producer but what it was was a little unclear. Each "contestant" read some sort of script but then they were rated by a judge for a score. The performances were good and some... full review

Hilarious performances by Michael Allen and Keith Carrington. Great timing. An hour of artful good fun.... full review

What a delightfully funny one hour show. The characters, especially Keith Carrington kept you entertained and involved. What a talent, both singing, playing guitar and performing. The timing of the characters were perfect. By the end of the rehearsal you were rooting for Keith Carrington's character to have a chance. And when Keith and Bodhi interacted, it had you laughing out loud. Thank you for a great evening of entertainment. ... full review

Very imaginative, funny, and poignant. Excellent acting and direction. "Different from anything you've ever seen!"... full review