Street Theater Sparks New Showdown at OK Corral

The Old West town of Tombstone, Ariz.—scene of the shootout at the OK Corral—is still swarming with gunmen. Actors, to be sure, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t bitter rivalries. Since a professional troupe rolled into town and started drawing tourists from the main drag to its reenactment, the town government has cracked down on street performances. The Los Angeles Times checks out the show.

The mayor used an obscure law to keep the streets clear of the professionals. Reenactment used to be the purview of retired locals, but even they don’t begrudge the new guys their creative outlet. “Pulling these guys off the street when the tourists absolutely loved it is like stabbing yourself in the foot,” the proprietor of one reenactment said. The law’s the law, said the mayor: “Something had to be done to keep the peace in this town.” (More Arizona stories.)