Posted: 10/28/25 at 11:08am
I saw this recently and thought the show itself is fine. The plot is a little been-here, seen-this, an angsty teenage coming-out with bullying, self-harm, family drama, and self-acceptance. The most interesting aspect- Matt Rodin's gay teen character connecting with his estranged grandfather who is himself a closeted gay man- is strangely under-explored. We get glimpses of Beau's past in a few short scenes- a hookup turned unrequited love, his wife leaving with his daughter- but only glimpses that aren't really developed much. While I appreciate a show not explaining everything, the writers arguably leave far too much to audience inference. The poster has a lot of memorabilia and imagery spanning the 50s through the 70s- a button for the ERA, Physique Pictorials, photos of concerts and performers- but none of that history is really in the show or the characters, aside from a guitar being named after Rosetta Tharpe. The cross-generational link between Beau and Ace is ostensibly the focus here, but it just felt so broad strokes. Secret-keeping is a major theme of the show, but that makes for unfulfilling scenes (particularly when the audience is privy to these secrets far before the characters are).
The score, again- fine. I couldn't really name a song or hum a tune, but fortunately you have this cast singing and playing the instruments.
The cast is really the driving force here. The show is truly a showcase for Matt Rodin, who is the focus of every scene, who sings most of the score (and sings the **** out of it), who has to portray an adult and high schooler, while also narrating the show and interacting with the audience. His charisma and talent is off-the-charts and show works as well as it does largely because of the sheer force of his performance.
Jeb Brown brings the same gravelly, endearing energy here he did in Dead Outlaw. He brings a lot of color to a character that is rarely more than just an archetype- a "bad grandpa" type of character, crotchety and self-destructive but with a heart of gold. I wish he got to sing anything at least half as catchy and compelling as "Dead," though.
The venue itself looks great- it certainly looks and feels like a dive-y country music bar and venue, and the production itself is very handsome and well-done.
Ultimately, I think chrishuyen nailed it- it's good, not great, and highly elevated by its performances. It feels mean to be more critical of a show like this in the times we're living in, but at the same time, we need more than self-acceptance platitudes.
