Sun Mee Chomet as Veronica and Kurt Kwan as Travis in The Guthrie Theater Presentation of the Mu Performing Arts production of Cowboy Versus Samurai. Photo by Michal Daniel.
Michael Golamco‘s amiable Cowboy Versus Samurai (Mu Performing Arts performing in the Guthrie‘s Dowling Studio, through Nov 28) is loosely based on Edmond Rostand‘s 1897 classic, Cyrano de Bergerac.
Ah, but with one crucial distinction: Golamco’s letter composer, Travis, lacks Cyrano’s famously distended and ugly nose. Travis is a sweet-tempered, reasonably content Korean American, raised in L.A. but now teaching high school in, of all places, Breakneck, Wyoming (pop. 1000). No physical defects whatsoever. Thus, in Cowboy Versus Samurai Asian-ness = the Cyrano nose. It’s a rich, but also very tricky, device.
Travis and his chum Chester are the only two Asian-Americans in town. Chester is adopted (and his parents forgot to ask the now-defunct agency about his country of origin), has never been out of Wyoming and is, to put it lightly, confused about his Asian heritage. He dons identities like his ever-present Bruce Lee tee-shirts: “Today, I feel that I’m Chinese”. He charms completely (as in, for example, the hilarious meetings of the “Bah-Ah-Ah” – Breakneck Asian American – Society).
Into this mix comes Veronica Lee, a Korean-American from NYC. Everyone flips for her, and why not? She’s gorgeous and sexy, a breath of fresh western air. Del, another teacher (and, significantly, white) falls hardest and enlists the mild-mannered Travis to compose love-letters. From this rich premise Golamco spins his play.
As a portrait of life in a to-hell-and-gone town on the high plains, Cowboy Versus Samurai excels. Golamco owns a tremendous facility with comedy and the play had me laughing constantly. Characters are sweet without being cloying and Golamco isn’t afraid to put them through some nasty turns. Boffo.
But when it deals with issues of cultural/ethnic identity the play doesn’t always convince. There are two excellent Act 2 scenes on the subject between Veronica and Chester, and Veronica and Travis. Sparks certainly fly, but the scenes don’t completely add up (for me, anyway – maybe you’ll disagree). Veronica’s obsession with white men and Travis’s extreme shyness are not entirely credible. As a result the ending doesn’t land as effectively as it might.
But see this play. It’s the funniest piece in town (funnier, in the humble opinion of this reviewer, than the over-the-top 39 Steps playing downstairs in the McGuire). Mu stalwarts Kurt Kwan and Sherwin Resurreccion turn in outstanding performances (I’m still doing Resurreccion’s black power salute). Ditto Sun Mee Chomet in the difficult role of Veronica and John Catron as the amiably dumb Del.   Randy Reyes directs with a sure hand. And a growing clique will be pleased to know that the production boasts a set by the outstanding Joseph Stanley.
Recommended.
For more information about John Olive please visit his website.