VIVA Theater is presenting a radio show version of the memorable 1951 movie, Westward the Women, at The Dairy this November.
Based on a story by Frank Capra, the tale takes us on a wagon train carrying one hundred determined women on their quest for matrimony. The ladies are recruited in Chicago to become brides for lonely ranchers in California, then face daunting hardships as they make their way west across the prairies of mid-nineteenth century America. Tragedies befall the wagon train as romance blossoms in the dust. The ladies shoulder on.
“When I found out that there was a radio version of the movie,” says the director Abigail Wright, “I wanted in. It’s a western through and through – cowboys, Indians, bad guys, dance hall girls – but the point of view is female. It’s like that old joke about Gingers Rogers doing everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels. So it is with these women pioneers. Even better, the show is just plain fun.”
Music and sound effects are master-minded by Jane Shepard, who led the sound team for last year’s hilarious VIVA hit, You Can’t Take It With You.
VIVA Theater believes that creativity fuels our lives and our community. Founded in 2002, VIVA encourages everyone, regardless of age or experience, to come play.
Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder. Visit thedairy.org or call 303-440-7826. $18 general, $15 seniors and students.
Performances are Friday, November 16 & 23 at 7 p.m., Saturday, November 17 & 24 at 2 pm; Sunday, November 18 at 2 pm.