Reviews for Three Fingered Jack & the Legend of Joaquin Murieta...

"Feistier than a spicy tortilla... Exploring the role of women in the cowboy genre sets the show apart." Toronto Star

"It took a while to get Marilo Ñunez's Three Fingered Jack & the Legend of Joaquin Murieta going, but once it did, it was feistier than a spicy tortilla.

The smoky Western focuses on Ñunez's interpretation of what Rosita Murieta does after she finds out her husband Joaquin -- said to be a hero by the Mexicans and a bandit by the Americans -- is killed.

The play got off to a rocky start, with actors changing costumes off-stage noticeable to the right side of the audience and incredibly distracting for those trying to concentrate on the strong monologues of the character Rosita (played by writer Ñunez).

Manuel -- played by Carlos Diaz -- was only mildly believable when he cried out to his sister Rosita that he didn't have much time to live, and Carlos Gonzalez-Vio also had a weak start as the phantom of Joaquin. With the entrance of colourful Maria Syrgiannis as Lola Montez, however -- a sweet-talking hard-drinking American bar dancer -- things lit up. She performed well throughout and really gave the play the push it needed.

As the play mounted to its climax, all the actors improved and the distracting set movements luckily ceased.

The story was the best part. Exploring the role of women in the cowboy genre sets the show apart, while the emotional stories of Rosita's rape by American law-enforcement officials are gut-wrenching.

In the end it's a worthwhile see, but hopefully the stage direction will have improved for the rest of the festival. -- AG - Toronto Star