Critic’s Pick
The “famous” Haydell Sisters have brought their long-awaited 20-year reunion tour from Portland, Oregon, to Cincinnati. And the good news is that this hour-long pseudo-Country Music concert is hilarious from start to finish.
Apparently, Mattie Haydell (the older “mannish” one according to her bio) and Maybelle Haydell (the younger “cute” one) had a meteoric rise and fall back in the early ’90s, going from blooming Country Music superstars to washed-up tabloid fodder seemingly overnight.
Now after two decades, electric bass guitarist Mattie (comedian Donna Kay Yarborough) is in need of a little cash and is taking a break from her obsession with political conspiracy theories to join up again with her wayward sister.
Acoustic guitarist Maybelle (Sadie Bowman, one of the creators of Calculus: The Musical from several fringes ago and a frequent Cincy Fringe artist), is eager and ready to sing again since her many legal troubles are now behind her — although Lyle Lovett still has a restraining order. Together in their comeback concert the Haydells sing their greatest hits, relive those glorious ’90s, and get on each other’s nerves.
Their hits are as down and dirty as hard-luck country music can be. Mattie and Maybelle know their way around a twangy melody and have a gift for the raunchy lyric to match as they sing of cheating men, bad sex, good times and lonely nights.
The songs include “I’m on House Arrest for Christmas,” “Wrangler Butt,” “Your Broken Heart is No Excuse to be an Asshole,” “Seven Seconds is Too Short a Ride,” “The Woodpecker Song” and a Christian anti-bullying tune, “I’m Gonna Kick Your Ass With My Love.”
Opening night was sold-out so you might want to call soon to reserve your seats to catch this show in a small upstairs studio at the Art Academy.
Mattie and Maybelle are nice guitarists, decent singers and very funny. Let’s hope they don’t wait another 20 years to return to Cincinnati.
Joe McDonough is a Cincinnati playwright whose plays have been widely staged locally and around the country.
Read the official 32-page FRINGE FESTIVAL GUIDE here
and find the full performance lineuphere
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