Well, here at Shubert, the crowd certainly does seem to be digging it indeed. Lost Highway is a tender paean to Williams, one of our country's most talented and original singer-songwriters. The play documents his rise from obscure hillbilly to super-stardom as Country & Western pioneer to his early demise in the back of his baby-blue Cadillac, dead at 29 from an overdose of alcohol and pills.

In tonight's performance, Williams is played by understudy Van Zeiler. The play begins with Williams's early touring days as lead singer of the Drifting Cowboys, managed by this mother, Mama Lilly, played by Margaret Bowman. Lilly apparently was one tough old gal who probably could have licked the Iraqi Army in half the time it took the Marines to do the job.

As Williams's fame begins to take hold, so do the trappings of his success. He marries Miss Audrey who yearns to share the spotlight with her far more talented spouse. Unfortunately, she sings even worse than, say, Madonna or Courtney Love (if you can imagine that) but refuses to acknowledge it (just like Madonna and Courtney). Williams responds to the complications in his life by increasing his intake of booze to a blood-level that can normally only be reached by an embalmer at the local mortuary. His life soon spirals ever downward.

Lost Highway is a plaintive tribute to the resiliency and the fragility of the human spirit. Laced with humor and chockfull of tunes from Williams's impressive but foreshortened catalog, the play delivers a thought-provoking and memorable evening of entertainment. Led by Zeiler in the lead role, the talented cast of musicians/actors parade easily through Williams numbers such as "Hey, Good Lookin'," "Cold, Cold Heart" and the immortal classic "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry."

The night concluded with Mama Lilly calling upon the crowd to tell other folks about the show and bring some friends (and strangers) down to the theater. Well, I reckon that's what I'm doin' right now, ain't it Miss Lilly....