Sitting boozing with a bag of Mars bars? Eating peanuts by the light of the stars? Going out cruising in your '59 pink Thunderbird, fighting and looking for forty dollar whores? Well, the first bit might sound familiar, but the second doesn't happen so often in Oxford, at least not in the parts I visit. So credit goes to the team behind Lone Star for attempting something a little bit out of the ordinary: a student play which transforms the Burton Taylor into the back yard of a small-town Texan bar. This convincing comedy, written by James McLure, centres around an encounter between Roy, Ray, and a crate of Lone Star beer. And for added realism, the audience can drink along with the characters - beer's provided

As we drink with the two brothers, Roy and Ray, we slowly realise that there are secrets behind the red-neck camouflage. Roy and Ray are still marooned in the town they grew up in, but things have changed since the days when Roy, the high-school hero in the cowboy shirts, could reel in the girls just with the power of his Thunderbird convertible. Back from Vietnam, and going nowhere, he has to come to terms with the fact that other people have things to hide - not least the little brother he bullies and patronises by turns. The script has some rather forced jokes - but the acting is wonderfully timed and genuinely funny.

Nick Pierpan as Roy, reliving his days of glory, gives a stunning performance, knocking back the whisky and howling at the moon. The sweetly gormless Ray is endearingly played by Michael Sommer, forming a great double-act with his friend 'Skeeter' (Paul Minarik), the social misfit with vaginal-orientation worries. So don't forget the peanuts and the popcorn, settle back with a beer and enjoy the show: a poignant look at family relationships with some great comic moments

Felicity James 08/05/01