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Grace: Late thirties/early forties. By way of the school of hard knocks she has wound up in this small Kansas town as the owner of the diner where the play takes place. She accepts her situation in life without much complaint. She is well versed in the ways of real life and because of this she is able to act as sort of a mentor to Elma. She and Carl have a tryst. Will: The local sheriff. He can be very intimidating. He acts as the moral compass of the play by putting Bo in his place and teaching him a very important lesson about what it means to be a real man. The actor must be physical, as there is one fight scene between Will and Bo. Cherie: In her twenties, close to Bo's age. Actress playing her should hopefully have a decent singing voice. She is a nightclub singer in a very rough part of Kansas City, and has been kidnapped by Bo because he thinks they're getting married. Despite her vocation, she is actually a very gentle, decent girl. She desperately wants to know what it is like to find love, and seems confused that love hasn't quite worked out like she planned it. This part is very physical at times, as she gets into shoving matches with Bo and at one point she slaps him. She is also carried over Bo's shoulder. She performs a musical number with Virgil. Carl: The bus driver. Late thirties/early forties, near Grace's age. He and Grace have a tryst during the play. Dr. Lyman: Perhaps in his fifties. A scholarly man who is a former college professor who now chooses to freewheel about the country. He seems filled with self-loathing and he has a dark secret in the fact that he likes to pursue young girls. It would be easy to see him as slimy, and for the most part he is, but there is a pain which underlies his behavior which the actor can hopefully portray in a sympathetic light. Toward the end of the play, he realizes he is on the wrong path. Bo: Early twenties. Very physical role: he has a fight scene with Will, he jumps around all over the set, and he gets physical with Cherie (carrying, pushing, shoving). Cherie slaps him at one point. Young cowboy type. He has a tendency to be loud and overbearing. He has kidnapped Cherie in hopes of marrying her, although he doesn't see it as kidnapping, but as a romantic act. While it is true that he is a brash young cowboy, we should also be able to see the fact that he hasn't got a clue when it comes to women and that this is a big stumbling block. We should be able to see that this is why he behaves in such a rough manner toward Cherie. Virgil: Forties. He raised Bo from childhood after Bo's parents died. He is the one who is constantly trying to settle Bo down and make sure he doesn't get into trouble. It seems that he could be the stereotypical "loner" cowboy were it not for Bo's constant presence. He is nice enough to everyone but prefers his solitude. At the end of the play when Bo and Cherie finally decide to get married, he realizes that he is now a third wheel. He decides to gracefully bow out and live on his own, much to Bo's confusion. The actor playing Virgil should hopefully be able to play a guitar, as he has a musical number, plus he accompanies Cherie during her number. |
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