I was in Chicago this last weekend and was stuck with nothing to see. I couldn't bear to sit through Les Mis again and I couldn't scrounge up a ticket to the Steppenwolf Theatre production of Lost Land with John Malkovich for love or money.

So I went to the Goodman Theatre to see a play in their small space (the Owen stage) called Floyd and Clea Under The Western Sky starring David Cale (who also wrote the book and lyrics) and Faryl Millet, and featuring three country musicians on stage. It was a play with music, not quite a musical.

Given my songwriting start in country music, I was intrigued and for $27.50 I figured I had nothing to lose. It was the story of a washed-up singer-songwriter who is living in his beat up old car, and whose life is changed when he meets a young aspring singer. And of course, he changes her life as well.

He only sings in the show "on stage", as a performer in seedy clubs, and as the show progresses the lyrics to the songs reflect what is going on in the story. David Cale was great -- great voice, great character.

Clea was not quite as strong, both acting-wise and singing-wise, but the latter sort of worked for her character. The show itself was a bit thinly written (some of the emotional moments seemed forced and out of the blue), but there were some nice funny bits well delivered by David Cale, and it had a nice happy ending which suited the overall gestalt of the show. The show succeeded for me because it was just two people and very intimate, and therefore delivered a pleasant evening of theater. The country music was forgettable but fun while you are listening to it, as country music can so often be...

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