Cowboy Mouth

A play as much about identity as it is about desire, this production of Cowboy Mouth uniquely exhibits a mind-bending quality that is just what I'm searching for when I experience theater. Do we really seek to know the truth about anyone or anything, or do we encounter people merely to reduce them to a myth that we can easily categorize? A MUST-SEE!!!... full review

Cowboy Mouth is a production filled with so much energy and passionate violence of the heart and soul that it is hard not to feel as though you are a fly on the wall of their desperate motel room, waiting til they have finished to move a wing. Cramped in a small theatre and with strong, powerhouse performances from actors Claire Kaplan, Justin O'neill and Spencer Howard, the production is immediate, nuanced, and in your face. The play's unique direction by Samuel Hunter, is effective in bringing out the natural, messy trials of a flailing relationship while keeping the space highly symbolic and theatrical. The Lobster Man played by Spencer Howard, is a performance of great specificity and intrigue; one that will be remembered for a long time... full review

I went to see this production because of the very charming and talented director, Samuel Hunter. Generally I avoid Sam Shepard because of his uncanny ability to leave me gutted, this production was no exception. I felt it was surreal, magical and yet brutally honest. I felt attacked by frosting. The acting was brilliant. I was especially impressed with Claire Kaplan. She was intense, disturbing, sympathetic and beautiful. Overall I was moved and found the production evocative although also painful to watch at times. Sam Shepard knows how to illustrate some of the dark and mad human moments we would like to forget, never admit to, or hope never happen again the second they are over. It's painful to desire a savior who doesn't come, painful to... full review

I love reading Sam Shepard but rarely hear or see him done as well as I hear it on the page. Both Director and Actors found the voices of these characters clearly and in a very compelling way. It's hard to imagine a reality where you can both follow a human story and accept a Lobster Man serving Twinkies upon request. This young ensemble made it happen. It's also very hard to straddle the real and physical danger of Shepard without keeping the audience out of the story and worried about the actors' safety. It completely worked and kept me leaning forward in anticipation the entire time. I saw the piece because the Director asked my friends and I to attend personally, right before the preview started, in the Fringe Central tent. Although I... full review

This show rides like a roller-coaster. You go through extreme ups and downs and afterwords you'll spend twice as long talking about the experience, as you did actually watching it.You watch the final day of a relationship between two people in a dodgy hotel room, a hotel room vibrating with delayed dreams, dirty mouths, and delicate stories. The three person cast is fast paced and committed. They will leave you with a sense of the desert, a sense of danger, and a wonderment about what this world requires you to sacrifice for saviorship. I highly suggest watching this show. I don't know if you've ever seen lizards fighting in the wild, but that's how it will make you feel.... full review

(Note: All reviews are from my blog, http://korakaos.wordpress.com/ ) Now for my first 2011 Hollywood Fringe Festival review. The first show I saw was Cowboy Mouth. It’s an old Sam Shepard play . This production was directed by Sam Hunter of San Diego (not to be confused with the other Sam Hunter of Iowa in the theatre community, ha!). The Fringe is a non-curated arts festival for emerging arts in Los Angeles, and I heard someone say yesterday that she sees no point in doing previously-done plays. I disagree; the festival may be for new arts, but really, ours accepts absolutely anything and everything. It is all welcome, of course. And I rather enjoyed seeing this play. I had never seen this one before. It’s funny how sometimes- or at... full review

After hearing several good things about this show I finally got the chance to see it. Each of the actors did an excellent job. Even the plays weirder moments that were well done and kept the audience hooked. This is a good little production that shows just what the Hollywood Fringe Festival is all about. ... full review

This production deftly draws its audience deep into the humanity of its characters, as they repeatedly build trust and connection between them and then tear it back down. Their relationship is complex and nuanced and is full of both charm and grit, as is the play itself. Under the direction of Sam Hunter, the actors have captured the tragic beauty of these characters fighting and clawing their way toward a dream that may or may not be within their grasp. I've seen it twice and each time I am captivated by something new. I'm can't wait to see it again!! ... full review