Theatre Review - Starter Pistol

Starter Pistol

Written by Michael Gotch

Directed by Mark Lamos

When: Sunday, January 19, 2pm

Where: Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts

(University of Delaware, Newark, DE)

Photo by Evan Krape / The REP

"On tonight's very special episode of Roseanne" are the words that kept ringing through my head as REP actor-turned-playwright Michael Gotch's Starter Pistol made its world premiere as part of the University of Delaware's Resident Ensemble Players 2019-20 season.  From the set design by Hugh Landwehr (which even included an incredibly similar Connors-esque crocheted afghan draped on the sofa) to the comedic undertones running rampant in this story about a lower-middle class Midwest family, it genuinely felt as if a large chunk of this play could've been supplanted into a Roseanne episode with simple changes to the character names.  That's not necessarily a bad thing as I'm a fan of that show and its current television iteration, but something about Starter Pistol lacked a bit of originality.  It also, unfortunately, lacked a little bit of focus which --considering this is the play's debut -- may be honed a bit more in subsequent presentations of this work.

Gun control, opioid/prescription drug dependency, factories closing leading to unemployment are all topics that try to add drama to the piece, but none are really captured to their fullest potential and the play's shocking ending that left the audience at the performance I attended silenced feels forced, unearned, and a bit too obvious in this day and age.  I had a similar reaction to Gotch's previous work presented by the REP - Minor Fantastical Kingdoms - but that one worked a bit better for me than this one.  (Gotch's works are still much better than the New York-based playwright Theresa Rebeck premieres that the REP has showcased in seasons past.).  Gotch is actually quite adept at sly comedy -- the humor feels very natural to the characters he brings to the picture.  The drama just doesn't land for me.  Additionally, while the two hour runtime never felt long, this one doesn't need to be a two act piece.  In fact, perhaps in time, Gotch will craft this into a more taut 100-minute one-after.

The cast is solid with Kathleen Pirkl Tague and Steven Pelinski getting the most to sink their teeth into, but Starter Pistol just falls a bit flat which hurts me to say because Michael Gotch is a talent (his direction of Wait Until Dark in particular is still one of my favorite shows I've seen from the company).