Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...My Life as a Cowboy refreshingly does not go in the direction that I expected it to. While the play dips into the cliche of a gay youth looking to escape figuratively provincial roots, Conor does not have to come out of the closet to Zainab or Michael, nor is there any unrequited love among this trio of characters. The play lasts about 75 minutes, and the story is focused squarely on Conor’s dream, his sometimes self-serving machinations to make it happen, and the effects on his friends."
Windy City Times
- Highly Recommended
"...If you travel down Broadway Avenue in Nashville any night of the week, you will find multiple dusky voiced troubadours performing in vintage honky-tonks like Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop. While these old school baritones perform various tracks from the Willie Nelson songbook, other establishments on that strip, like Lainey Wilson’s colorful Bell Bottoms Up, pulsate with a pink neon energy that borders upon the fabulous. That latter vibe is what attracts Conor, a gay teenager in the Croyden section of South London, to the country music scene in the charming My Life as a Cowboy, currently running at Open Space Arts in Chicago’s historic Uptown."
Stage and Cinema
- Recommended
"...Ultimately what makes this work is that Timbrell goes beyond queer (or even outcast) tropes here—Michael is about as much of the heteronormative ideal as one could be—to explore something that’s broader in its scope: these kids just want to do something that makes them feel accomplished. At one point, one of the characters talks about doing something they love and how it feels when they realize that they’re good at it."
Around The Town Chicago
- Recommended
"...“My Life as a Cowboy” by Hugo Timbrell is a cute comedy with great country-Western music to boot… such as Shania Twain, Dolly Parton, and Johnny Cash. Smooth directing by artistic director David Zak makes this light and funny 70-minute play fun to watch!"
Chicago Theatre Review
- Recommended
"...The musical finale, however, is an extremely pleasing payoff and is much more enjoyable as entertainment. The number is sharply performed by all three actors, decked out in glitzy fringed costumes that were designed by Jade Andrews, and beautifully choreographed with flair by talented Kevin Chlapecka. The spirited Country/Western musical finale finds Connor finally dancing toward his dream. And the scene leaves theatergoers clapping and singing along and wishing that the play had more upbeat two-stepping and fewer ugly, unpleasant temper tantrums."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...You gotta see MY LIFE AS A COWBOY! It’s brilliant, thought-provoking family fun. In fact, here’s a notion: this would the perfect introduction to ‘The Gay World’, one even your great-aunt Margaret from Omaha could both enjoy and understand. It is, after all, not actually about ‘The Gay World’ [don’t tell great-aunt Margaret], but simply about the complexities of human beings getting along with other human beings. Even great-aunt Margaret can’t be too scandalized by the notion that queers are human beings."
Entertaining Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...This is a really fun show. It is lively, the script is well-paced, and you are constantly laughing. The characters are wholly relatable, with three dynamic actors in Ben Chalex, Octavio Montes De Oca, and Momina Shahzad, who manage a spirited chemistry between each duo as well as the three of them."
Allie and the After Party
- Recommended
"...Bouncing between his two sets of friends, teenager Conor feels like he's torn between either existing in his small town or breaking out of it. A feel good, coming-of-age story My Life as a Cowboy shows a moment in a young person's life as they choose what's important."
Werner's Theatre Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...The American premiere of My Life as a Cowboy at Open Space Arts arrives as a welcome burst of warmth in the heart of a Chicago winter. First premiering at London’s Park Theatre in 2022, playwright Hugo Timbrell’s charming coming-of-age play blends quick humor, queer representation, and genuine humanity. It is the kind of production that feels especially well-suited to Chicago audiences—intimate, character-driven, and rich with heart—leaving viewers with laughs in their stomachs and smiles on their faces as they head back into the cold."
