Men Love Horsies: The Musical

Reviewed by Arthur Bullock

The vibe of Men Love Horsies: The Musical is “Equestrian.”

I realize that’s not a word people often use to describe theatre, but this isn’t just any old show. It’s a one-man musical sketch comedy by Devin Bateson about horses, men who love horses, and the relationship between them. It features a loose plot about the town of Cool Horse City, tied together by one consistent theme: men who spend perhaps too much time thinking about horses, and have invested a lot of time and energy into horse-related things.

Much more emphasis is placed on the music and comedy, which is absolutely stellar. Bateson takes an absurd premise and runs with it, fully committing to each and every equine escapade. The characters themselves take every bit of it seriously, but that just makes it even funnier. The music seems to be fully original, with an instrumental played over a speaker while Bateson sings along in real time.

The show’s character work is phenomenal; Bateson plays every single character, with a costume change, such as a new hat or vest, signifying a new persona. He switches between different voices and personalities with ease, convincingly becoming a brand new person in every scene. There’s some audience participation, and more than once, he gestures to an audience member as if they were a character off-stage, but no one is ever asked to come up on stage with him.

This is another one of those shows where I hesitate to reveal too many details, out of concern that it would spoil the experience. Bateson knows that he’s doing something silly, and he does it very well. Despite the name, you don’t actually need to know anything about horses to enjoy this show; I would recommend it to anyone.

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Event Details

Age Suitability: Parental Guidance (ages 13+)

Genre: Theatre—Comedy, Sketch Comedy/Improv

Run Time: 60 mins

Playwright/Director

Devin Bateson

Warnings

None