←Recommendations of THIS COW AND THAT TROMBONE

A fun play about hoping & dreaming for things seemingly beyond your grasp and still going for it anyway.

Endearingly funny, abundantly self-aware, and tremendously kind, Steve Martin's short story about cows, creativity, limitations, ingenuity, and longing for something more will make your heart swell. Martin's signature warmth and playfulness are on full display here, as well as his understanding that disappointment is a staple of life's menu; he reminds us that it's what you do with it that counts. Lovely.

Anthropomorphized animals have been teaching us how to be human since at least the days of Aesop; Martin's entry in the form, THIS COW AND THAT TROMBONE, stands apart not just for the warm humanity of its message - that we can all find fulfillment, if perhaps in unexpected ways - but for its giddy theatricality ("Stomp" with cows? Sold!) and Martin's ability to build upon his metaphor in ever more complex ways. By turns melancholy and hysterical, and always delightful.

I can’t resist a play that includes cows. And this one did not disappoint. A contented cow, a cow that wants to be more, and a compassionate bull. What they and we learn is that it’s ok to follow your dreams, and if it at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Such a feel good story that you’ll be clapping and mooing along with this bovine trio.

I rejoice knowing that finally, I'm not the only playwright to pen a daft play about cows in a field! Silly yes, and it would look hilarious, but there's more to this play, there's hope, dreams, desire and music. OK, so maybe cows can never get there hooves around a trombone, but there's still sweet music to be made in this herd!
Great fun!

This is a fun play about exploring dreams and finding yourself, all happening on a farm. It's easy to understand and gets you thinking about what you want in life. The characters, like Effie and Suzie, show different sides of wanting more than what's expected. The trombone in the story is like a symbol of following your passions, which is pretty cool. With Beau's friendly help, the play teaches us how important it is to support each other when trying new things. Overall, it's a feel-good story about being brave and going after what makes you happy.

This play will make you want to put a trombone in a farm field. How can you figure out something when you don’t know what “something” is? Martin’s fable show’s us how if you limit your expectations, you limit your life. Wanting more is not a crime.

Okay, first of all, points awarded for the eye-catching title.

It’s hard to dislike a play that’s this wholesome and charming. If you have a good costumer and an actress with some solid percussion skills, this play would be an absolute showstopper.

What a wonderful way to show us there is more to life than what others may think we should be doing. Cows and trombones as a delivery vehicle for creative empowerment wasn't on my life lesson bingo card today, but damn, I'm sure glad I decided to add it. Steve Martin always provides more bang for your buck, and the visual of an anthropomorphic herd of cows making music is something I'd love an audience to see. Please produce this play.

There is so much to like about this play. Suzie the cow longs for more than what is supposed to be in a cow's life. When she finds a trombone, that is too outside the box for Effie. But Suzie is honest about her feeling to Beau, saying she "wants to feel sad" and Beau beautifully allows her to do so. And when Suzie finds her joy, no one makes Effie feel bad for NOT needing to be more than "just a cow." Beautiful. I want to hug a cow.