By: Paulanne Simmons

Written by James McClure and directed by Pete McElligott, Lone Star is a rollicking exploration of male identity. The one-act comedy, presented by NINE Theatricals, is set in the 70s and focuses on a macho-man trying to regain his life after serving in Vietnam.

In the cluttered backyard of a small-town Texas bar, Roy (Matt de Rogatis) drunkenly regales his young brother, Ray (Chris Loupos), with stories of war and sex, when Cletis (Greg Pragel), the son of the local hardware store owner, arrives with bad news about Roy’s beloved car.

Cletis is the kind of jerk many people instinctively want to wallop. Roy barely controls himself when Cletis first appears, so Ray decides he’ll be a buffer between the two.

Unfortunately, Ray has his own bad news about himself and Roy’s wife. So all-in-all, it’s not a great day for Roy. The two drink, fight and sort of make up.

That’s probably what you get when two brothers are named Roy and Ray.

Lone Star ran from April 20-30 as part of the SPOTLIGHT-ON FESTIVAL at The Wild Project before moving to the Triad Theater, 158 West 72 St. on May 6th and May 13th.
Tickets: http://www.drinkbeerraisehell.com.