Cowbois (Seymour Centre) ★★★

Written by Charlie Josephine. Presented by Siren Theatre Co and Seymour Centre. 20 Nov – 13 Dec, 2025.

Cowbois, a queer fantasia on Western themes now playing at Seymour Centre, ricochets between tones at a furious pace. Part pantomime cowboy tale, part surreal musical, part action-comedy, its exhaustive cast of 15 performers are here to challenge your view of binary concepts like “goodies” & “baddies” or “masculine” & “feminine”.

Set in a dusty town with no name, where all the men have gone mining for gold and the women are left to fend for themselves with only the drunken Sheriff to protect them, there are Wanted signs everywhere plastered with the image of handsome criminal Jack Cannon (Jules Billington). When the swaggering bandit arrives in town, the women are left flustered and confused as Jack’s trigger finger starts a sexual revival none of them could have predicted.

After getting its start at the Royal Shakespeare Company and moving to London’s acclaimed Royal Court, where it received rave reviews, Siren Theatre Co have brought Cowbois to Australia under the direction of Kate Gaul. And, much like everyone’s marksmanship in the big final gunfight, it’s a bit hit-and-miss but the bullets hit their mark right when they need to.

What starts as a comedy of manners among the “womenfolk” of the town takes a while to reveal its genre-bending leanings. Once Jack saunters into town bringing a healthy dose of magical realism, things start to simmer. Then we’re off to the queer-romance section of the story, as love — and confetti — fills the air. Just as quickly, we’re diverted into dark and serious discussions of gender and scenes of persecution before the stage becomes the center of a freewheeling gunfight. It’s an ever-evolving, maximalist mash-up of styles that never quite takes shape into something whole.

Jules Billington shines, often literally, as the trans-masculine cowboy with a twinkle in their eye and a pistol in their pocket (or maybe they’re just happy to see us?). It’s a knowing performance that invites the audience into the action. Billington’s likability radiates through scenes as they spread love and acceptance to the locals.

Emily Cascarino is a centring presence as Miss Lillian, the married proprietor of the local salon who falls for the dashing rascal while her husband is away. So too is Branden Christine’s Mary, who delivers unforced comedic side-eye with charm.

The combined work of Emelia Simcox (production design), Brockman (lighting) and Aisling Birmingham (sound) makes for a physically impressive stage space that elevates the action and the comedy. While the atmospheric scoring by the band does wonders in building tone and accenting moments, the original songs themselves fall flat. The musical numbers feel awkwardly placed and are hard to hear without any amplification — and it’s clear the majority of these performers were not cast for their singing and dancing skills. The sudden switch from folk & country to electronica mid-song, for instance, is particularly jarring.

Charlie Josephine’s script works best in its heightened tone, playing with the gender roles so well established in Western cinema, or when running at full spoof. When sincerity sneaks in, an air of ‘after-school special’ creeps in with it that is clearly preaching to the choir. Personally, I felt that each scene ran too long, often overstating moments or, worse, over-explaining its own humour. Some trims, and a less languid delivery, would make the evening flow faster.

But there is an undeniable charm to Cowbois that is hard to resist. When Lou (Faith Chaza) steps out as their true self, it’s hard not to be swept up in pride and relief. I found myself smiling broadly the whole time (and at 2 hours 40, it’s not a short piece). Even while I struggled with the pace of some scenes or the abrupt tonal shifts, I felt a real sense of relaxed exuberance surrounding the show. If you’re after an explosion of queer joy, this may be just the ticket.