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Duck Hunter Shoots Angel by Mitch Albom

Duck Hunter Shoots Angel, a new play by Mitch Albom, is currently in its world premier run at the Purple Rose Theatre Company. It's a story about jaded tabloid journalist Sandy and his sidekick photographer Lenny who are sent on assignment to scoop a story about a couple of duck hunters who appear to have shot an angel. Of course, they also have to find the hunters, who are still wandering around in the swamp, and fend off helicopters full of rival journalists in order to get the exclusive.

Sounds simple enough, right? Sounds like great stuff for a comedy, right? Well, that probably is right, but we may never know because the playwright has chosen to add so many complexities that it's hard to figure our what exactly is going on. First, there is this disembodied voice that is used inconsistently as a device for narration. Secondly, there are a number of flashbacks to Sandy's ill-fated decision to give up legitimate journalism and his only true love for the hack's life. Third, there is a comedy of errors that happens offstage at different times that we are supposed to piece together in the midst of everything else. It seems to go something like this: journalist hits a deer on a dark highway but doesn't stop to get it out of the road; then someone else he used to know swerves to miss the deer, hitting and killing a duck hunter that just happens to be there at that moment, continues off the road and dies. And if that wasn't enough to keep us confused, it turns out the daughter of…. Well, you get the point.

The problem with all of this is that it doesn't really drive anything forward (like a plot, for instance), but creates this series of eddies and mysteries that grab so much focus, we are unable to enjoy the humor. And to be sure, there are number of funny lines and comedic situations. There are also some unflattering and unfunny stereotypes. And there is a concerted attempt to inject some meaning. But this is no Angels in America, so don't look for layers of real meaning here. The biggest flaw of Duck Hunter Shoots Angel is that it tries to be too many things, and ends up not doing any of them very well.

Yet despite the obvious flaws in the writing, the PRTC manages to drag some real entertainment into the production, through its characteristic physical humor and outrageous characters. Most notable are Ryan Carlson as Lester, Sandy's ruthless publisher, Wayne David Parker as Duane, one of the duck hunters, and Joseph Albright as Duwell, duck hunter and brother to Duane. Director Guy Sanville manages to hold our interest by varying the pacing and creating a lot of movement around the stage, although the time transitions get a little murky in places. Probably the greatest unsung technical feat of the production is Reid Johnson's lighting design, with an amazing number of lighting clues blended so smoothly into the action that you hardly know it's happening

Duck Hunter Shoots Angel is scheduled to run through Saturday, August 28, with performances from Wednesday through Sunday each week, including two performances on most Saturdays and Sundays. Ticket reservations can be obtained by calling the Purple Rose Theatre Company Box Office at 734-433-ROSE (7673). The PRTC box office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

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