God’s Cowboy attempts to place violence as an organic reaction to cruelty and love as a redemptive, if belated, force. Abuse is not condoned but it is essential to the story.
Kate Stratford
Venue : Flight Path Theatre
Marrickville
Dates: Until Feb 21st 2026
Les Solomon’s God’s Cowboy draws on Rogers & Hammerstein Carousel for its premise – the cycle of abuse which exists in “loving” relationships. In Carousel, Billy Bigelow, wife-beater and main villain, echoes other characters in popular theatre such as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire who hit their wives and not only get away with it, but whose wives respond lovingly. However, Solomon has suggested that the victim can walk away at the first hit, even though they still love.
In this instance, the “bad-boy Billy” is theatre roustabout, Daniel. Here, Max Fernandez delivers a Daniel with a tender side underneath the armour of his polished egotism. Fernandez has a charm onstage which was essential for the character of Daniel. In Act 2, Daniel opens up emotionally with Penny (Sophia Laurantus) and it’s an essential moment for the audience who needs to understand the generational abuse and to know that Daniel is capable of higher, better things.
The “Julie” character in God’s Cowboy is a composite of the twins Penny (Laurantus) and Peter (Nathaniel Savy). Peter may be the physical lover but Penny is the emotional one. However, in this case, Daniel is called-out for the abuse by both the twins who refuse to take on the role of the co-dependent. Author Les Solomon has taken the central arc and attempted a fresh framing for a contemporary audience with varying success. Love does become the redemptive force for Daniel but the through line develops late in the action.
Act 2 is definitely better structured and clearer in purpose than Act 1; although it does not finish when it should. There was a perfect moment when Daniel decides to go and that moment was tender and symbolic. However, there is an epilogue which destroys that moment and is unnecessary. Trust the audience, don’t tell them.
Lighting and sound design did not, in this instance, serve the production. Glaring lights lit the audience often; and whilst this can be an effective when used with discretion, over-use here made distracting. The actors were mic’ed for sound and in the intimate space of Flight Path theatre this is completely unnecessary. It suggests that the actors do not have the training or capability to project. If the use of personal microphones was to counter the sound of overhead planes (Flight Path Theatre), I can only suggest to have faith in your actors that they are capable of pausing and holding energy through such moments. With so many shirt-off scenes, the microphone cables highlighted problems. Similarly, the set although in some ways minimalist, included pieces which were never referenced or used. The most successful aspect of design lay in the costumes.
Opening night nerves were initially obvious in the four actors Maz Fernandez, Nathanial Savy, Sophia Laurantus and Tate Wilkinson-Alexander but these dissipated as the play moved on. Fernandez’ charming and seductive Daniel became increasingly more vulnerable whilst Savy’s romantic Peter grew more resilient. As Penny, Laurantus occupied a more narrative role with warmth and energy but does need to work on her lower register to avoid becoming shrill. Wilkinson-Alexander, as Daniel’s ex-lover and fellow thespian Demetrius served as a reminder of the dynamics that persist in abusive relationships.
The gay relationships in the narrative are almost completely incidental. Abuse is abuse. It exists across all genders, communities, racial groups and ethnicities. Acknowledging those, we can see that God’s Cowboy attempts to place violence as an organic reaction to cruelty and love as a redemptive, if belated, force. Abuse is not condoned but it is essential to the story.
Kate Stratford, Theatre Now
