A bit of the Old West is hitting the stage at Westfield Playhouse, 1836 W. State Road 32, starting this weekend. The play “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” is based on a 1953 short story by Dorothy M. Johnson, a story which inspired the 1962 John Ford movie starring James Stewart and John Wayne.
Hoosiers have never seen this one before. Main Street Productions and Westfield Playhouse is the first theater to stage this play in Indiana.
“There are several differences from the movie,” director Veronique Duprey told The Reporter. “Some characters are pretty different. For example, the female character is a full lead while in the movie she was just a romantic interest who really didn’t do much.”
Duprey has directed several youth productions with Westfield Playhouse, but this will be her first adult production.
“You certainly don’t have to worry about bringing people back to order as much with all adult cast,” Duprey said. “These are all experienced actors. They know all the basics. This is an almost all-male cast except the one woman. That is a little different. When I have been in shows with groups of women, they tend to chat a lot more. Men are not as chatty in between things, so we are very, very efficient in rehearsal time.”
According to Duprey, all the actors were excited about their roles.
“If this were a known play, the top five roles would be bucket-list roles. They are all well-developed. It is a strong drama. This is not at all a corny Western. This is a full drama that just happens to take place in a Western setting.”
Duprey is known for her attention to detail in her stage productions. In this production she is playing the dual roles of director and costume designer. The audience can expect to be given an experience that has an authentic Western look at feel.
“Several of the actors were very exited about their characters, but also about the details of the Western,” Duprey said. “Some have enjoyed Westerns their whole lives. The narrator, Tom Smith, and his son enjoy Westerns so much they have been to Tombstone several times to visit and soak in the atmosphere. In fact, his son provided all but one of the guns that we use. All are either authentic replicas or working guns.”
It should be noted that blanks will be fired on stage and the audience needs to be prepared for loud gunshots as part of the production. It is one of the little touches that will bring a little more authenticity to the experience of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.”
Due to the adult themes and some of the language in this play, parental discretion is advised.
Photos provided