Jesse James was a lad who killed many a man, and knew the meaning of family values . . . . Just Like Us, But Dangerous Missouri Legend's 1938 version of the Jesse James tale is alternately suspenseful, melodramatic and  comic.  A fictional account of the writing of the "The Ballad of Jesse James", it begins with Belle Starre and Billy Gashade making music,and ends with them singing the legendary ballad of their hero, Mr. Howard; a Baptist with an alias who just can't get a break. Americans have a special love for the brute who is just like us, with a twist.  He gets to shoot his enemy, we don't. Jesse has his problems: he can't qualify for a bank loan because as soon as he mentions his real name, the bank manager thinks he's getting rolled.  Young employees just don't seem as loyal as they used to, and his wife threatens to leave if he won't spend more time around the house. Of course, a job comes up.  Can he get back before his wife knows it's another train robbery?  And what will he do when he's made head of the posse who's supposed to hunt him down and kill him? At Metropolitan, we will score our production with live bluegrass instruments, and strum, stomp and pick through this folksy, musical and darkly twisted comic tale of James' final exploits. "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter"  from the BBC, September 12, 2001 The Confederate Terrorist What better time to revive Elizabeth B. Ginty's dark comedy about America's  most wanted and lovable killer.  Immortalized in bluegrass music as a Robin Hood, new research has shown historians of late a new portrait. In his best-selling history, Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War,  T. J. Stiles shows that Jesse James never lost sight of his Confederate politics.  He worked with politicians, lawyers and a publicist to present himself as a gentleman who took care of his own, all the while continuing to extract a bloody, ruthless, costly and calculated vengence against Federal authority. This in-depth look at Mr. James changes him in our nation's memory from folk hero to terrorist. James was not only our most notorious outlaw, but one of our early spinmasters, able to use the deep cultural and political divisions between North and South to cultivate sympathy for his guerrilla tactics.  He was always careful to emphasize his Baptist roots, his generosity to Confederate neighbors and friends, and his gentlemanly manners.  Like partisan politicians today, he aligned himself with his community by appealing to their cutural values, all the while never losing sight of his desire to see the South rise again -- whatever the cost. Missouri Legend is a fascinating and timely evening of lively theatrical exploration of the meanings, shadings and redefinitions of the American Hero.