Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge

Adapted by Peter Mills and Cara Reichel

Directed by Cara Reichel

59E59 Theaters

59 East 59th Street

212-753-5959

 

Review by Carly Dahlen

 

Moonshine Life: Victoria Huston-Elem, Dan Sharkey, Mark Mozingo, Mike Rosengarten and Dennis Michael Keefe in Golden Boy of Blue Ridge.

 

The latest show to be featured at 59E59 Theaters, Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge is an adaptation of J.M. Synges’s The Playboy of the Western World, and is presented by the Prospect Theater Company. This is one of the most exceptional musicals running on the off-Broadway, with engaging music, an entertaining storyline and a talented cast.

 

The musical chronicles a handsome, wayfaring stranger named Clayton (Mark Mozingo) who, on the course of his journey, encounters a small, Depression-era Appalachia community. When the young drifter enters the town, he meets the McFarland family: Maggie, a no-nonsense young woman betrothed to Luther (the local religious fanatic), and her moonshiner father, J.M. Clayton ultimately becomes a laborer on the McFarland’s property. Over the course of Clayton’s time in the backwoods community, he becomes the subject of local gossip, a suspect in his father’s murder, and love interest to Maggie. When the truth about Clayton’s past is finally revealed, the community members come to terms with their assumptions about the outsider, and Clayton makes a pivotal decision about his future in the town.

 

The musical showcases charming performances by the ensemble cast, (especially Mozingo, Victoria Huston-Elem as Maggie, and Carol Hickey as Hazel), foot-tapping musical numbers, and a darkly comic storyline. The show also features a first-rate bluegrass band, which not only provides the music to the actors’ lyrics, it also incorporates itself into various points in the story. This makes for a more rousing theater experience, and a more engaging storyline. The unique choreography and stimulating technical elements add additional depth to an already rich production. 

 

Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge is a pleasure to watch, especially for its outstanding music. Even if you have no desire to see a musical about Depression-era, backcountry America, you will love this show.