BWW Reviews: DUCK HUNTER SHOOTS ANGEL at Cumberland County Playhouse

By turns, Duck Hunter Shoots Angel will make you laugh out loud, consider deep and philosophical questions and, perhaps, even shed a few tears. Certainly, it's funny and heartwarming, and yet another example of writer Mitch Albom's estimable ability to provoke thought while entertaining - which, quite frankly, has become the stock in trade of the artistic collective at Crossville's Cumberland County Playhouse.

Again directed by Donald Fann, Duck Hunter Shoots Angel (the 2011 edition) is a revival of the award-winning play that delighted CCP audiences last season, proving itself worthy of those accolades and showcasing the talents of some of the region's most gifted and talented actors doing what they do best. Although the seriocomic (with a lot of emphasis on the "comic" part of the equation) play's ultimate payoff may be telegraphed in the early going of the plot - if you pay close attention to what's happening onstage - the actual story is convoluted and mysterious enough to keep most people guessing (although by intermission I had accurately predicted what would be coming up in the second act), making that final denouement all the more compelling and emotionally charged.

Albom's play focuses on the diffident Sandy (Daniel W. Black), a once credible journalist who has sacrificed both his personal life and his integrity to go to work for Weekly World and Globe, a tabloid of the first order in which alligator men wreak havoc and a pair of Alabama hunters (Jason Ross and Bobby Taylor) supposedly shoot an angel while on the prowl for some unsuspecting ducks. When the call comes from the heart of Dixie reporting the supposed shooting death of the angel, Sandy's publisher (Greg Pendzick) orders him southward to get the story before all the serious media outlets (like CNN) beat him to the punch. Skeptical and world-weary, Sandy sets out for Alabama with his photographer Lenny (Michael Ruff) to puzzle out the wild and wacky story for themselves. But what they find in Alabama - besides the two brothers who have allegedly shot the angel - is a story that goes much deeper than expected and which proves more resonant for Sandy and, certainly, for the audience.

In Duck Hunter Shoots Angel, there is much to amuse you, a lot that will induce laughter, but the story - which is difficult to explain without telling you every single detail - effortlessly pulls the unsuspecting theater-goer in, coming upon you unawares. The truth, and the beauty of it, that confronts Sandy and Lenny when they arrive and meet the habitués of the Alabama hamlet in which the play is set, is far more heartfelt and sentimental than you could ever expect (well, without me telling you, I suppose).

Duck Hunter Shoots Angel is elegantly (perhaps surprising, given the rather broad comic situations presented in the play) and creatively staged by Fann, with his clear vision for the piece obviously adding to the magical notions evident in Albom's sharply written dialogue. The humor is topical and contemporary, yet there is a very real spiritual tone that pervades. But thanks to Albom's command of the language, the play's sentimentality and sweetness (is there any other way to describe it?) is far from cloying; rather, it's genuine and accessible, which makes the play all the more appealing for today's audiences.

To his credit, Fann has cast some of CCP's most experienced company members in the play and it is the audience's familiarity with these actors that helps to underscore the play's message and to drive the playwright's points home without overplaying the script.

Black is perfectly cast as Sandy, bringing his everyman charm to the character while giving him the necessary edge to make his all the more believable. Ruff is the resolute fish out of water as Lenny, injecting his reading of the role with excellent comic timing. Pendzick very nearly steals the show out from under his cohorts as the brazenly brash and brusque tabloid publisher.

But it's the superb pairing of Ross and Taylor as the two bumbling brothers Duwell and Duane who take top honors in Duck Hunter Shoots Angel. Confidently, the two men play against each other with such joyful abandon that you can't help but think of them as brothers in life as well as onstage. Blending pathos with an amazing comic control, Ross gives a performance that is wonderfully over the top yet somehow remains earthbound and, ultimately, very moving. Taylor's good ol' boy charm is felt throughout his performance and his grasp on the very being of his character is impressive.

Among the other cast members, the ethereal Lindy Pendzick is lovely as the young woman for whom Sandy still pines. Erin Curry and Casey Hindman share the role of "Kansas," the young counter attendant at a convenience market, with Chaz Sanders as the aforementioned "Alligator Man," and John Fionte supplies the disembodied voice of a man asking the questions of Sandy that help the story of Duck Hunter Shoots Angel to be brought to life onstage.  

Fionte also gets credit for the superb scenic design for the production, which features the pages of Weekly World and Globe come to life before you. E. Tonry Lathroum's lighting design provides the perfect illumination for the show, at times focusing our attention when needed and at others casting atmospheric effects.

Duck Hunter Shoots Angel. By Mitch Albom. Directed by Donald Fann. Presented by Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. Through July 14. For ticket information, call (931) 484-5000. For further information about CCP, visit the company website at www.ccplayhouse.com.

 

Pictured: Michael Ruff and Jason Ross

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