"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," the Gilbert Theater's first show of the season, is a classic western with modern themes and an optimistic view of what's to come.

The play, directed by Chris Walker, is every bit as gritty and gripping as you'd expect a western to be. Clear-cut archetypes: the naive scholar, eloquent villain, reticent cowboy, and street-wise queen come together to tell an old story in a fresh, unique way.

The stage, designed as a charming and spot-on wild-west saloon, is a capable backdrop to the goings-on in Two Trees, the town where this story takes place.

For those with an affinity for westerns — this story has it all. There are plenty of gunslingers, cowboy hats, denim and plugs of whiskey to get the bells of nostalgia ringing. Still, for audiences searching for a story with a bit more substance than yee-haw, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" delivers, and then some.

Ransome Foster (Dan Adams) breezes into town with a sack full of books and a head full of ideas about justice and the importance of learnin'. Left for dead after running afoul of the titular Liberty Valance (James Dean), Foster is picked up by the grumpy Burt Barricune (Michael Ormiston) and delivered to saloon owner Hallie Jackson (Claudia Warga-Dean) and her faithful negro companion, Jim Mosten (Quentin King).

As Ransome heals and makes a place for himself, his charm and love for the written word bewitch Hallie and Jim. Soon, word travels that an outsider is bringing education to women and negroes, and that just don't sit right with certain folks in Two Trees, namely, Liberty Valance.

Just as the story's central romance finally unfolds, Ransome's earnest attempt to better those around him ends in tragedy, and he's forced to become what he hates to protect what he loves.

The play is well-paced, and the necessary arcs reveal themselves in a natural way — like the audience is experiencing life along with the characters as they grow and change.

The central drama, a slow-rolling but very obvious love triangle between Hallie, Ransome, and Burt, is thoughtful and restrained, allowing the audience to see Hallie as Foster and Barricune do — all wiseacre quips and fierce independence played to perfection by Warga-Dean. Her treatment of Hallie's singularity — a modern woman who knows who she is and what she's worth, isn't pushy or preachy. It comes across as authentic and relatable in 2022. Adams and Ormiston do an excellent job as reluctant rivals drawn together to deal with the often unpleasant nature of "men's things." "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" boasts a fabulous supporting cast, and I'd like to especially point out the chilling performance of James Dean as the purely evil Liberty Valance. His name is thrown around the play like that of a boogeyman, a looming menace who throws a dark pall over the happy developments on stage, but his presence, encompassing only two scenes in the entirety of the performance, is captivating.

Vicki Lloyd, who wears both the Assistant and Technical Director hat for this production, creates a space ripped from the pages of history through lighting and set design. The hazy sepia-toned stage looks exactly right for the period and context. Sawdust floors and the swinging doors of the wood-paneled saloon work fully to support the subtle but effective costume choices of Elizabeth Andrews.

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" demonstrates how artfully the Gilbert Theater handles sensitive topics and uncomfortable subject matter.

Director Chris Walker clearly understands how to tell a story truthfully; the audience must sometimes travel to places they'd prefer not to go, but he makes the journey worth it. What could be another superficial look at an educated man with a white savior complex, unaware of his ignorance or the destruction it causes — is instead a powerful look at people grappling with the weight of their choices in their quest to become better people.

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" will run until Sunday, Oct. 2. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.gilberttheater.com/.