Man with the Pointed Toes
Hale Center Theater OremView digital playbillJan 4, 2020 – Feb 8, 2020
Director's note (Cleveland McKay Nicoll): The first time I sat down and read Man with the Pointed Toes I was flooded with memo- ries of working on my family’s cattle ranch in Southeast Arizona and learning what it took to be a real cowboy. Riding for hours as we rounded-up cattle for branding, driving out to a distant pasture in the green ’66 Chevy pick-up to ‘fix fence’, and learning to shoe and saddle a horse are some of my most vivid memories. There are several aspects that I focused on for atmosphere and tone, and these memories were at the very core of everything. I decided that I was going to take this sweet romantic comedy and treat it like I would a cowboy. So, what words would I use to describe a cowboy? They’re gritty, stubborn, loyal, hard-working, and old-fashioned. Whether it was incorpo- rated in the final production or the rehearsal process, I wanted to make sure that these qualities were used at every turn. For instance, you’ll find there are some dated ideas present in this script. Obviously the 1960s were a very different time from now. However, like a stubborn cowboy, I didn’t want to pull those punches. While I don’t approve of the ideologies of the time, I found they were essential to character and plot development. Another example being grit. It’s easy to look at a romantic comedy and think, “fluffy, funny, but ultimately shallow,” yet, as the saying goes, comedy equals tragedy plus time. Too often people fall for the excuse of “the bit” and using jokes as the crutch of a perfor- mance, instead of digging down deep into the hurt and pain of each character, which adds depth to the situation and brings truth to the comedy. I have to say I’m very grateful for the casts’ willingness to follow me down this road, and their eagerness to make this more than just a cute show. Finally, old-fashioned. This is consider- ably the most apparent cowboy descriptor you’ll see tonight. To better explain this idea however, some context is needed. Shortly after this script was originally written in 1965, it was bought by Paramount Pictures in order to be made into a film. Sadly, the film was never made, but during this process, the idea of westerns and cinema of the 1960s never left my mind. To the best of my abili- ties I wanted to incorporate the style of these old-fashioned movies in an attempt at paying homage to what could have been. Tonight, I hope you’ll take a little trip to the not-so-distant past with us. I hope you laugh, and feel, and genuinely enjoy and experience the depth of the characters before you. We may not be taking a trip to my family’s cattle ranch in Arizona, but this is certainly the next best thing. Run January 4–February 8, 2020 (dates supplied for import). Program PDF: HCT_223.