Review: BRONCO BILLY - THE MUSICAL, Charing Cross Theatre

Walking into the Charing Cross Theatre to see Bronco Billy, you can tell that you are in for a party. There is a giant disco ball in the centre of the room, with streamers and colourful lights surrounding the audience. It’s certainly not an immersive show, but it does get you into the mood for a fun disco!

Directed by Hunter Bird, Bronco Billy tells the story of, as you might have guessed, Bronco Billy, along with his Wild West Show. The troupe travels around the United States in a large truck, barely getting by but still doing what they love. They are soon joined by Antoinette Lily, an heiress on the run from her murderous husband and stepmother. Tarinn Callender stars as the titular Bronco Billy, leading his group of merrymakers across the country. Calendar is incredibly charming and has a lovely voice, which is matched by Emily Benjamin playing his romantic interest, Antoinette Lily. The two have some fantastic chemistry which makes for great scenes between the two, including a lovely dance sequence at a bar. 

The two are joined by a cast of characters including a lassoing man with a penchant for stealing cars (the delightful Josh Butler), a loving duo performing magic tricks (Lorraine and Joe Eagle), an imposing clown (Henry Maynard) and the ringleader of the all, Doc Blue (Karen Mavundukure). Mavundukure has several stand-out moments in the show, including the catchy opening song which allows her to show off her singing abilities. There are quite a few powerful songs in the show and I found myself humming a few when leaving the theatre.

But, even with the power of the two leads, the show is quite nearly stolen by Victoria Hamilton-Barritt playing Antoinette’s evil stepmother, Constance Lily. Hamilton-Barritt uses the role to go full camp, typically singing or talking directly to the audience or even laughing at herself and how ridiculous her part is. Her mannerisms reminded me of how Catherine O’Hara plays the iconic Moira Rose in the hit show Schitt’s Creek. She is joined by Silas Wyatt-Barke as John Arlington, Chris Jared as Edgar White Lipton and Alexander McMorran as Sinclair St. Clair (who has a fantastic solo that was one of my favourites in the show).

Dennis Hackin’s book is quite simple, with most of the dialogue being extremely dialogue-heavy and leaving little for the audience to speculate on. Lyrics by Chip Rosenbloom and John Torres, with additional lyrics by Michele Brourman, meet the standards for a classical musical with rhyming couplets and a few witty remarks. David O has done a fantastic job with orchestration and arrangements, though the instruments do overpower the performers at times, leading to some difficulties in attempting to hear and understand the lyrics.

A special mention must be given to Amy Jane Cook, the scenic designer, who took the concept of “Buster” the truck and made the truck itself the main set piece, constantly turning around to transform into different spaces like a bar, a hotel room and even a circus tent! The Charing Cross Theatre is quite a small space and I was incredibly impressed with how the creative team was able to use the space as much as possible, including going up and down the aisles around the audience to create distance between one another as needed.

Unfortunately, the actual circus performance, which could be the climax of the show, struggles to establish itself as a highlight, especially as the performers are all singing a slow song, taking away from the excitement of the magic tricks and lassoing being done on stage. I would have loved for some more character development for the characters, especially the connection between Antoinette and her father, played by Jonathan Bourne (who, for some unknown reason, appears as a ghost to Bronco Billy and not to his grieving daughter).

There is an attempt at some background for some of the traveling circus performers as the Vietnam War is brought into the picture, but it feels like a quick throwaway with not much effort put into shaping the backstories. Ultimately, Bronco Billy is a fun show with some great performers and catchy songs. While a more developed plot would have been appreciated, it is still a show that will have you smiling throughout. If you’re a fan of pantomimes and/or a fan of country music, you’ll definitely be a fan of this!

Read our interview with Emily Benjamin about the show here.

Bronco Billy runs from 24 January to 7 April 2024 at the Charing Cross Theatre.

Photo Credit: The Other Richard