Clint Eastwood’s 1980 film Bronco Billy has been revisited by screenwriter Dennis Hackin and turned into a full-blown musical which is doing L.A.’s intimate-theater scene proud. Packed with catchy songs (mostly by Chip Rosenbloom and John Torres), boasting of a large, enthusiastic and gifted cast, the show fills the 99-seat Skylight Theater with Broadway-like size and sizzle—so much so that it wouldn’t surprise me if the show’s next stop were The Great White Way. Bronco Billy tells the charming, heartwarming story about a self-styled cowboy hero (Eric B. Anthony) who is running a third-rate Wild West show in Yuma, Arizona (“the hottest place on earth”). Bronco Billy, we soon learn, is really a Brooklyn kid, an ex-juvenile delinquent who spent a little time in jail. But now (in 1979), having remade and reformed himself, he is living out his boyhood dream of becoming another Gene Autry. Decked out in chaps and spurs, twirling a lariat, he sings and dances up a storm as the titular head of his troupe, an equally raffish bunch comprised of ex-convicts, misfits, and nut jobs who have made a second life for themselves in show business. Blighted as they are, they have bought into Billy’s goal of one day making it big in Hollywood. There are many obstacles to overcome, however, beginning with a lack of money. Bronco Bill’s show operates on a shoestring, which makes for tacky costumes and production values—not to speak of hassles with the landlord. An additional complication arises when a troubled girl shows up and asks for sanctuary. It’s another mouth to feed and house, and objections are raised by certain members of the entourage. However, because the girl, Antoinette (Amanda Leigh Jerry), is both beautiful and talented, Bronco Billy falls for her, only to be mysteriously rebuffed. A major subplot reveals the reason why: Antoinette is an heiress, the daughter of the late founder of the Ollie Chocolate Company (think Hershey). Antoinette is in line to inherit it because her wicked-witch of a mother, Constance (Michelle Azar), was disowned by her husband. The greedy Constance has vowed to wrest control of the company away from Antoinette and will stop at nothing to achieve that end. Her murderous side is revealed in a song called “Mama’s Done With Sweet.” Having fled for her life Antoinette has good reason to want to remain anonymous. But Billy, out of love and admiration for her talent as a performer, keeps trying to push her on stage. Director Hunter Bird doesn’t play any of this in realistic fashion, opting instead for a slightly cartoonish, over-the-top style of performance. He also pushes the action hard, going for short, swift scenes (and songs). Thanks to its compliant and high-spirited 14-person cast, and to the snappy choreography of Janet Roston, Bronco Billy took flight at the Skylight and sped by in rousing, rollicking fashion.
