This was a show I acted in at the Longmont Theatre Company. The cast totally fell in love with this quirky play and our characters blossomed. On the left you'll find some selected clips from the show. I've just added both acts 1and 2. So if you have 105 minutes to spare and want to watch me making a fool of my self, well, nows the time!
P.S. That is me in drag!
Chaps
by: Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner
It's 1944, and we're at the BBC radio station in London. Tex Riley and his Radio Round-up are overdue to perform a live radio cast to entertain the troops. We have 15 minutes to airtime, but no Tex and no cowboys. The tour manager, Mabel, finally arrives with the musicians, costumes, and scripts, but still no actors. They took different trains. Mabel and the musicians got lost, but figured she'd meet them at the station. What to do? Panic!
Miles, the asthmatic producer of the radio show, coerces Leslie Briggs-Stratton, the voice of the BBC ("stuffed shirt"); Archie Leitch, the sound engineer; and Clive, the Salty's Fish and Chips ad man, to fill in for the cowboys. Stan, the visually impaired sound-effects man, is game as well. With Mabel filling in the roles of the sweethearts of the Rodeo (twins Polly and Molly), they decide to fill in in the "show must go on" tradition. The Chaps filling the chaps of the cowboys, as it were.
From the premise, Chaps! unfolds. The "new" cowboys discover many things about each other and themselves in the course of this fun musical. They discover that neither a bomb nor the ultimate arrival of the "real" cowboys can stop them.
You'll hear wonderful, old-time western classics written by Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and other favorite composers. Songs like "Cool Water", "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds", "Sioux City Sue", and "Cattle Call" are sung by a very strong cast. The cast members are Beth Anderson as Mabel; Rick Landrum as Miles the producer; Dan Wright as Archie; Nigel Aves as Leslie Briggs-Stratton; Will Wakefield as Clive Cooper and Bek Aves as Stan, the sound-effects man.
Director : Liana Huey
Producer : Karen D'Ambrosio
Music Director : Susan Nace
Note from Nigel. Susan also accompanied us as part of the show with her wonderful piano playing. It was joy working with Susan and she fine tuned the songs and even harder, taught us how to sing them!
Notes from the Desk of Nigel
If you are a Community Theatre looking for a show that will "pack them in" then I would have to rate "Chaps" as an absolute 5 star show that you should pass on to your "Reading Committee" or "Production Committee".
This show left our audiences in Longmont, Colorado with big smiles on their faces and wanting more. It is a well constructed show where the first scene builds the characters and then from scene 2 onwards the fun begins. However, be warned, "the silly cowboy" music is far harder than it looks and some of the songs are quite hard to learn in 4 or 5 part harmony. BUT after you have spent the time they are wonderful to sing.
Dedicated in Loving Memory to Will Wakefield, the Salty's Fish and Chip man!
