Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy brings the iconic story of Joe Buck and Ratso Rizzo to the stage in a bold, gritty and deeply moving new musical. Joe Buck, a naïve young Texan with movie-star dreams and a cowboy hat to match, arrives in New York City convinced he can make his fortune as a hustler. Instead, he discovers a city that is colder, stranger and far less forgiving than he imagined. When he crosses paths with Rico “Ratso” Rizzo, a streetwise con man surviving on schemes and sheer determination, an unlikely partnership begins. What starts as mutual necessity slowly becomes something neither man expected: friendship. Living together in an abandoned apartment and scraping by however they can, Joe and Ratso begin dreaming of escape—and of the sunshine and promise of a new life in Florida.

Told through a theatrical ensemble that transforms into the colorful, dangerous and haunting people who populate Joe’s world, Midnight Cowboy is ultimately a story about loneliness, survival and the human need for connection. As Ratso’s health deteriorates, Joe’s priorities begin to change, and the dream of Florida becomes less about escaping New York than saving the one person who has become his family. With a score that moves between humor, desperation and aching hope, the musical finds unexpected tenderness inside a hard-edged world. At its heart, Midnight Cowboy is the story of two outsiders who have almost nothing—and discover that their friendship may be the most valuable thing either of them has ever had.

Duration: 120 Min
Roles: 4F, 7M (+Optional Ensemble)
Performance Group: Community Theatre, Professional, College
Setting: New York City with various flash locations

---

---

---