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Nearly every character is “performing” a version of themselves: Starbuck performs confidence and authority, Lizzie performs bitterness to protect herself, and the townspeople perform skepticism while secretly hoping.
The musical asks whether truth matters more than the effect of belief.
110 in the Shade: Truth vs. Performance
In "110 in the Shade", nearly every character is acting.
The musical lives in that uncomfortable space between who people are and who they present themselves to be, asking a quietly unsettling question:
Does the truth matter more than what belief accomplishes?
Starbuck: Performing Confidence, Selling Certainty
Bill Starbuck enters as a spectacle. His confidence is loud, his voice booming, his promises theatrical.
He doesn’t just sell rain.
He sells certainty in a drought-stricken world.
His persona is constructed by:
- Grand gestures
- Commanding language
- Absolute conviction
Whether he believes in his own power is almost secondary. What matters is that others believe. And for a town suffocating under heat and hopelessness, his performance feels like relief.
Starbuck represents the idea that performance can create emotional truth even if the factual truth is unstable.
Lizzie: Performing Bitterness as Armor
Lizzie Curry’s performance is quieter but just as deliberate.
In songs like "Love, Don't Turn Away", "Raunchy", and "Old Maid", we see the gap between her inner self and the version she presents to the world.
Outwardly she performs:
- Cynicism
- Irritation
- Resignation
But internally, she longs for:
- Desire
- Beauty
- Romance
- Recognition
Her bitterness is a shield. If she acts like she doesn’t care, she cannot be wounded by rejection. In this sense, Lizzie’s performance is protective. It is survival in a town that has defined her by her unmarried status.
When Starbuck looks at her and sees something radiant, it destabilizes her entire constructed identity. His performance of belief in her forces her to confront whether her self-image has been a lie.
The Town: Performing Skepticism, Harboring Hope
The townspeople insist they don’t believe in Starbuck. They mock him. They question him. They test him.
And yet, they pay him.
Their skepticism is itself a performance. Beneath it lies desperation. They want to believe, but they don’t want to look foolish.
So, they perform caution while quietly investing in hope.
The Heat: A Pressure Cooker
The unrelenting heat of the setting intensifies everything.
Under 110-degree sun, people crack. Performances begin to slip.
Lizzie dares to imagine herself differently.
The town dares to risk everything.
Starbuck’s bravado shows flickers of vulnerability.
When everything is burning, what remains real?
WANT TO WATCH THE MUSICAL?
Does Truth Matter More Than Belief?
The musical never fully answers whether Starbuck is a fraud, a dreamer, or something in between.
And that ambiguity is the point.
Rain may or may not come because of him.
But something does change:
- Lizzie begins to see herself differently.
- The town rediscovers communal hope.
- People risk vulnerability.
If belief transforms people, does the factual truth of its source matter?
Performance can deceive.
But performance can also reveal, because sometimes the role we play exposes the self we are afraid to be.
In the end, the musical suggests that truth is not only about facts.
It is also about transformation. And sometimes the performance is the bridge that gets us there.
PERSONAL REVIEW
Conclusion
I hope you learned something new! Check out some of my other blogs and learn more about the world of musical theatre 🙂 See you later!
