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History of A Handgun
By Clint Sheffer
Directed Clint Sheffer
Produced by Bruised Orange Theater Company
At Strawdog Theatre
3829 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
Call 773-588-0560, tickets $15 - $20
Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 7 PM
Running time is 2 hours, 20 minutes with intermission
Through July 30, 2006
History of A Handgun fires a dud
Bruised Orange Theater Company, a talented group of Northern Illinois grads, has mounted some terrific work over the last couple of years including The Misanthrope and Poor Man’s Amos by the talented Clint Sheffer. Sheffer got away with writing and acting in his fine Poor Man’s Amos last year. He was the right guy in the right role. Sheffer wrote and directed History of A Handgun with a quite different result.
History of A Handgun suffers from a lack of focus and a confusing storyline. The play isn’t sure if it’s a dark comedy or a melodrama; a satirical farce or a wacky mystery? The story goes in several directions, contains emotionally wrenching scenes yet has many campy bits that are either parody or dark comedy? I’m not sure what this tale of personal aspirations is supposed to be? Therein lies my problem with this sluggishly paced, uneven, and, at times, over-acted piece. Would it be one type of play with a through line dramatic arch, I’d probably be able to enjoy it. But as it plays now, it becomes tedious and confusing as it wonders from scene to scene as if it was several plays all rolled into one.
As near as I can decipher, History of A Handgun is a parody of those Landford Wilson and Sam Shepard plays about the losers from small town America. I think? Based on the low-life blue collar characters Clint Sheffer presents in History of A Handgun, I’m betting that the play is a dark comedy. Maybe?
The wacky inhabitants of a backward town, Mendicant, Illinois are awaiting the election of a new mayor while a storm is brewing that could flood the town. A killer haunts the near-by woods. The town law enforcement person is a nasty, violent drunk. The new mayor is a gentle, naive soul more interested in helping his simple male border than pleasing his wife. The town is peopled with quirky characters with whom once we become engaged, seem to disappear as other characters and other plot lines take over. Sheffer sprinkles so much symbolism and weird situations that we become confused and frustrated and quickly become turned off. Confuse us, lose us.
The manic antics of Payne (Ann Sonneville) and her encounter with a young psychologist, Kim Vandzandt (Zack Brenner) are one story while the young idealist, Melanie Neece (Tiffany Bedwell) dreams of changing the world is another. A zombie, Curly Jakes (Tiffany Joy Ross) restlessly wonders about. The mayor and his wife argue. The story wavers.
Filled with funny asides and campy speeches that oppose the seriously emotionally wrenching scenes played out with much screaming, the play loses focus. Tone problems and extremely uneven performances killed my interest.
Somewhere in this much too long work is a quirky play with real possibilities. It has yet to emerge. There are several interesting characters waiting to have their story told—but not all of them in one play. Sheffer tries to cover too many stories with too many themes. Better he narrows his focus with fewer characters and one through line. Then there is the acting: some players were doing melodrama, some were doing a parody, some simply over acted. Getting a consistent style with the appropriate emotion tone from the players would serve the play’s interest immensely.
Clint Sheffer is a talent and parts of this play were workable. Unfortunately, his ambition to create a complicated small town show led him to get mired in the details. Better to revisit, with red pencil in hand, this potentially interesting play. The ending is terrific but we have to muddle through 2 hours to get there. As it plays now, History of A Handgun is much to raw for consumption. Sheffer can do better work. This time he misfired.
Not Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2006
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