Review Fix Exclusive: Leenya Rideout Talks ‘Lone Star’ And More

May 29, 2019 Patrick Hickey Jr. Music, Theatre 0

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter and guitarist Leenya Rideout, who discusses being a part of the revival of Lone Star and what it means to her. Rideout also discusses her future after the production.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in LONE STAR?

Leenya Rideout: Joe Battista directed me in Before We’re Gone last summer at 13th Street Repertory Theatre and discovered that I was also part of the comedy band The Chalks.  When he was looking for an opening act for the one act play Lone Star, he called me up and we said yes!   

Review Fix: What makes your music ideal for this type of production?

Rideout: The Chalks play original three-part country music that is all about love, loss, eating and drinking. And America. And cars. Our characters are a dysfunctional but lovable trio of sisters born and bred in Boggy Depot, Oklahoma right next door to Texas and not unlike the characters of Lone Star, are known to steal each other’s romantic partners. I think we’re a perfect way to set the scene at Angel’s Bar for Act I of Lone Star.  Our director Joe Battista is a smart guy!

Review Fix: How is this project a rewarding one for you?

Rideout: I have been part of the Chalks for over ten years now and we have played in theaters and cabarets all over the country, traveling life’s highways with our finger on the pulse of America. Any time we get a chance to make new fans, find out what they want and give it to them, we take it!  I hope everyone gets a chance to see Lone Star, as we are a limited run from June 6th through June 16th at the 13th Street Repertory Theater.  

Review Fix: How do you want your role in LONE STAR to be remembered?

Rideout: I hope we go down as the best darn country music superstar trio of sisters ever to play in Angels Bar!

Review Fix: What’s next for you?

Rideout: After the Chalks open the first week of Lone Star’s run at 13th Street Rep, I will finish out the second week in my own as one of my “sisters”, Judelle (Kathryn Markey), heads out of town for another job. This set will be entitled “Back to Jack,” which is the title of the only original song I’ll play that night. I’ve strung together a dozen heartbreak songs written by some of country music’s best female artists as only they can. I’m going to sing them in order of the stages of grief, with an extra special stage thrown in at the end… After all, sometimes the only thing that makes you feel better is a good breakup song!  

After Lone Star closes, I’m heading to Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in August to play the Witch in Into the Woods.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Rideout: I just finished premiering the brand new musical August Rush based on the beloved 2007 movie at the Paramount Theatre. 

More info about me at www.leenya.com and the Chalks at www.thechalks.com and Lone Star www.lonestarplay.com 

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14260 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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