Texas Annie: The Legend of the Moan Ranger is a musical that takes inspiration from a former Texas restriction on the possession of sex toys, pushing the premise further by imagining a world where all sex toys are banned.
The show opens with Governor Killjoy of Texas banning sex toys and as they come to shut down Annie and her grandmother’s sex shop the raid goes wrong and Annie ends up on the run with a box full of sex toys to deliver. With an unusual spiritual guide’s help Annie becomes ‘The Moan Ranger’ and whilst on the journey to deliver the toys, goes on a journey of her own.
As you would expect from a show with this synopsis there are many moments in the story where the audience struggle to believe their eyes or ears as the gags and story developments become increasingly outrageous. It is all delivered with humour and heart which quickly wins the audience over and has them laughing at the jokes straight off the bat. The book by Jenn Howd and Roz Milhalko does a good job in balancing comedy with an underlying message. Themes of acceptance beyond the binary, the shame that is often associated with discussing sex and sexual freedom this ensures that the show is more than just a collection of smutty puns throughout even if, occasionally the message gets buried beneath the gags. The sheer number of jokes means that the more thoughtful elements are also reduced to an afterthought, rather than being allowed to develop with the comedy. The show sums up the spirit of the Fringe in one show. Wacky? Yes. Enjoyable? Very much so. An underlying feel good message? Undoubtedly.
The music is also enjoyable, although some of the score begins to feel repetitive and few of them have the musical identity to make them particularly memorable afterwards. The stand-out number was the finale, ‘Second Coming’ where the show’s message of acceptance really come to the fore and included an audience sing-along provides an uplifting conclusion.
The cast are all incredibly committed to their roles. Annie is played by Jamie Swisshelm and they have one of the hardest jobs in playing one of the less extravagant characters and still making Annie stand out but Swisshelm ensures that Annie comes across with heart and is slightly less 2 dimensional than those that surround her. The relationship that Annie develops with Ashley is also one of the most heart-warming parts of the show and Lyd Noll delivers a brilliant comedy performance as they multi-role throughout the show. Noll is far from the only performer required to take on multiple roles and all of the cast except Annie herself take on multiple roles and do so with much hilarity. Leo Jenkins’ portrayal as the spiritual guide Rainbow is a particular highlight, while the wider company throw themselves into every character they play. From Governor Killjoy himself or Royce Louden’s wonderfully named Brad Ballsac, Ashley’s fiance the range and energy of the performance are an utter delight.
Texas Annie; The Legend of the Moan Ranger is exactly the sort of wonderfully bonkers show that feels at home at the Fringe. Beneath the sex jokes and outrageous premise there is a genuine message about acceptance, freedom and being comfortable with who you are, even if that message occasionally gets lost amongst the gags. The score may not always linger long but the committed cast and the infectious sense of fun makes this an entertaining and surprisingly heartfelt hour.
Texas Annie is on at theSpace on the Mile from 22:30-23:25 each day. You can find out more on their website here.
If you like this review you might also like my review of Bog Witch, Darkfield and Dystopia 26.