Virgins and Cowboys Review

Virgins and Cowboys - 8.5 out of 10
Flinders Drama Centre
TICKETS: End of Season

Virgins and Cowboys is a chaotic, “sexy-sad” comedy where five lost souls scroll, swipe, and spiral through the wreckage of online connection, loneliness, and desire. Centred on characters in their twenties who meet and interact mostly via the internet, it blends cringe humour with bleak insight into modern relationships. This sitcom‑reject‑turned‑stage‑comedy is presented by five final‑year Flinders Drama Centre students and features several artists previously reviewed by A Thousand Words.

Virgins and Cowboys dives into how technology has completely tangled the way we chase connection and self‑worth. Playwright Morgan Rose tackles big ideas with sharp, satirical humour, exposing the loneliness that lurks behind our hyper‑connected lives. It’s messy, funny, and painfully relatable, showing how ego, mixed signals, and the endless scroll shape how we love (and fail to love) online. The chaos of the play captures the uncertainty of being young and looking for meaning in a world where everything feels both fake and too real at once.

Leading the cast is Emma Gregory as Sam. Sam is trapped in a monotonous, low‑status job and spends much of his time online, where he encounters two women who both identify as virgins. Fixated on the idea of “deflowering” them, Sam’s misguided mission fuels much of the play’s action. Gregory’s performance commands attention she skilfully applies her training from the Drama Centre to explore Sam’s contradictions and insecurities, grounding the comedy in something painfully real.

The next cowboy, Dale (played by Jaxon O’Neill), ultimately takes the virginity of one of the women Sam had hoped to seduce, sparking a major rift in their friendship. O’Neill’s portrayal renders Dale as unassuming, straightforward, and faintly naïve, someone easily swept along by stronger personalities. The resulting tension between Sam and Dale adds emotional texture to the production’s otherwise comic world.

Keiran, the third cowboy, is brought to life by Tom Horridge. A fitness buff turned yoga‑retreat guru, Keiran quits his job, travels to India and South America, gives up beer for a month, and returns rebranded as the ultimate wellness instructor. Horridge captures Keiran’s easy charm and restless energy perfectly. Even when not the focus, he maintains character through constant bursts of exercise: push‑ups, sit‑ups, and other fitness rituals, adding humour and depth to the ensemble dynamics.

We’re then introduced to nineteen‑year‑old Lane, played by Anna Symonds. Symonds’ performance immediately stands out – her expressive face and physical nuance draw the audience in. Lane comes across as bright, insecure, and searching, experimenting with how to present herself both online and off. As the play unfolds, her volatility and complexity surface, and Symonds convincingly charts this transformation with precision and empathy.

The other virgin, Steph, is portrayed by Star Thomas. At twenty‑nine, Steph is disillusioned with dating, her hardened edge a product of repeated disappointment. Wry, weary, and razor‑sharp, she cuts through Sam’s self‑delusion and the play’s romantic myth‑making with biting clarity. Thomas embodies this balance of sardonic humour and vulnerability beautifully. Her scenes with O’Neill, supported by Intimacy Coordinator Renato Musolino, are honest, sensitive, and never overplayed.

A special mention goes to Musolino, whose work ensures that the show’s intimate moments feel purposeful rather than provocative—never vulgar, never gratuitous, just exactly what the story demands.

Though this season has now concluded, these five artists are about to embark on their Honours year at Flinders University. If Virgins and Cowboys is any indication, their upcoming mid‑year and end‑of‑year productions will be well worth keeping an eye out for.

- Andrew Broadbent