I Could Take My Gun Out And Shoot You
Sun, 30 Jan 2005, 10:48 pmWalter Plinge9 posts in thread
I Could Take My Gun Out And Shoot You
Sun, 30 Jan 2005, 10:48 pmWhen I first heard about this play I must admit I had the usual expectations of a cliche ridden, predictable production dealing with gay issues that had been dealt with ad nauseum. The issues in this play are perhaps not new but what is different and compelling about this particular production is the way in which these issues are played out on stage thanks to an effective script which is pretty `spot on' and a cast of extremely promising actors. Rarely have I been to a performance where I if I didn't feel like I was part of it, I wanted to because the message of this play was clearly projected to the audience in a dramatic yet unpretentious way.
It has comedy, tragedy and mostly it's movement and timing is flawless. The cast gave excellent performances but for me, the standout performaces were Kirk, whose voice projection and facial expressions were engaging and believable, Tweed Harris, whose small role was one which gave the whole story a certain depth and of course the character those of us who have already seen the play, have come to know and love, Snap - played by James Robertson Harley. This character is immediately identifiable; colorful, funny and yet vulnerable. He makes you laugh and he also makes you realise that no matter who and what we are, we're just human beings.
Do yourselves a favour and go see this play. You will come away feeling like you've experienced a part of other people's lives which, in many ways, is so relevant to your own.
It has comedy, tragedy and mostly it's movement and timing is flawless. The cast gave excellent performances but for me, the standout performaces were Kirk, whose voice projection and facial expressions were engaging and believable, Tweed Harris, whose small role was one which gave the whole story a certain depth and of course the character those of us who have already seen the play, have come to know and love, Snap - played by James Robertson Harley. This character is immediately identifiable; colorful, funny and yet vulnerable. He makes you laugh and he also makes you realise that no matter who and what we are, we're just human beings.
Do yourselves a favour and go see this play. You will come away feeling like you've experienced a part of other people's lives which, in many ways, is so relevant to your own.
Re: I Could Take My Gun Out And Shoot You
Mon, 31 Jan 2005, 03:51 pmWalter Plinge
Opening night audiences are never the best audiences to perform to, but the cast of "I Could Take Out My Gun And Shoot You" pulled off the night wonderfully.
The one element of the play that really impressed me was how comfortable the actors appeared together onstage, considering half the cast were straight. This ease on stage really shows when watching the performance.
But however good the lead actors, particularly Kirk and Dale, the script was predictable, melodramatic and quite slow. The plot followed the very basic storyline of "Boy meets Girl", except the girl is substituted for boy. So the plot is as follows: Boy meets boy, boy loses boy, boy finds boy again.
Tweed Harris (writer, director and actor) announced at the end of the show the show was based on his life, which seemed like a bad idea since his life is not that exciting and, basically, shouldn't have been put on stage. And, lets face it, he hasn't been the only gay man in theatre to have 'come out' - so why is he so egotistical to make a play about himself? It felt as though the show was a big advertising scam to sell his autobiography (published by vanity press).
Scenes felt disjointed and some of the lines appeared to have been written in haste - especially at the end- in order to explain certain events (I won't tell you what it is just in case you haven't seen it yet).
Anyway, though the script was bad, the cast were great.
Dale's character Kevin was warm which combined well with Kirk's Charlie, who was unsure and timid. I especially liked the way Dale wasn't a stereotypical gay, but portrayed one that is just like everyone else (or a 'straight' gay). These two had great compatibilty on stage, though I found some scenes a little melodramatic , particularly after the Charlie/Kevin & Mr/Mrs Noakes scene.
James's Snap was energetic (which was a relief - as the rest of the cast were a little too unenergetic) but sometimes a little too enthusiastic. This enthusiasm was particularly unusual as occurred during the last scenes of the play which were supposed to be extremely sad. There was a quick transition (during Snap and Mr Noakes scene) between the sadness of the events that happened - to Snap becoming really happy and excited. Surely the director should have picked up on this...? Or was it the fault of the script?
Hannah and Melanie, who played Things and Coke, were pleasant to watch. Their characters really took backseat to the dramatic action. However, Things is the one to explain what happened to Charlie in one sentence, that appears to have been added hastedly in by the writer. I only say this as there was no building towards her sudden outburst of that one line and no follow up.
But overall, the cast did a lovely job.
I would like to thank them for a lovely night.
And perhaps next time, Mr Harris could stretch his budget to get an actual costuming person, rather then leave it up to the actors.
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