$30-$40
Music and Lyrics by Henry Aronson
Libretto by Cailin Heffernan
Direction by Cailin Heffernan+
A new American country musical inspired by Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost
Loveless Texas tells the story of two brothers in 1920 Texas…the elder is King Navarre, responsible oil man and cattle rancher, and the younger is Berowne Navarre, playboy and rascal. With the onset of the Great Depression, King enlists Berowne and his college buddies Duke and Bubba to a contract of three years employment…with the condition of no romance, no drinking, no carousing, no gambling. When four intelligent and beautiful women arrive and demand an audience, all contracts are open for re-negotiation.
Loveless Texas is a traditional book musical, with a country score in a variety of traditional Americana styles, encompassing Texas swing, bluegrass, blues, Cajun waltz and two-step, and cowboy yodels. It is a fun, joyous, affirmative celebration of the power of love!
As West Side Story and The Lion King demonstrate, Shakespeare-inspired musicals can work wonderfully — but only when done right. Happily, Boomerang Theatre Company’s Loveless Texas, a new musical by Henry Aronson and Cailin Heffernan, gets it exactly right. Inspired by Shakespeare’s romantic comedy Love’s Labour’s Lost, this musical set in Depression-era Texas and Louisiana uses Shakespeare as a springboard for its energizing, heartwarming story about family, love, and, of course, Texas. Berowne Loveless Navarre and his two friends are bent on chasing fun (which usually means girls, gambling, and booze) from one end of the globe to the other. That is, until Berowne’s older and more responsible brother calls the three young men home to his Texas ranch and offers them respectable jobs. The catch is that if they want to work for King Navarre, the three young men have to sign an agreement stating that for three years they won’t gamble, drink, or engage in any interactions with the fairer sex. It seems impossible, but the three young men are desperate, so they sign King’s agreement. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) a household of young and very attractive women live in close proxim …Read more