Review: THE SECRETARY Shoots Off at Main Street Theater

THE SECRETARY is a unique black comedy revolving around women and guns. It strives to say something about this country's love affair for firearms, and it does so through the unlikely targets of half a dozen female characters who all vary in their opinions. Main Street Theater has assembled an excellent fully loaded cast, and the physical aspects of the show are right on target. The only thing I question is how well the play actually says anything of great importance to a Texas audience where likely half the women have pink handguns stashed in their purse or the glove compartment of their car.

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The story revolves around Ruby who runs a company that makes guns named after women who save the day with their weapon. She's in luck as the school secretary has just become a local hero by shooting a suspected violent student. The only thing is Shirley the secretary claims she didn't do this on purpose - the gun just went off on its own. Yet Ruby forges ahead honoring Shirley by calling her new semi-automatic high powered rifle The Secretary. Ironically enough at the same time the arms dealer is searching for a person to assist her as an administrative assistant. She has two choices - a protester who hates guns or an enthusiast who seems to love them enough to carry one all the time. Complications arise over the actual Secretary gun and the open position in the company as the play charges on. The guns just won't quit going off, and the ladies have to figure out what it all means to them.

Main Street Theater has always had a knack for casting, and this production continues that tradition with a wonderful sense of diversity and comedic chops. Alice M. Gatling leads the show as Ruby the creator of the firearms. She's got a great sense of timing, and knows how to handle the tricky black comedy aspects of the script with ease. Elizabeth Marshall Black returns to Main Street, and lends her quirky spirit to the role of Janelle who manages the office. She is always a comedic pro, and never disappoints when she takes aim at a punchline. Celeste Roberts portrays Shirley, the titular gun toting school secretary with an appropriately frazzled sheen. Briana Resa plays the self-righteous mother of the student she shoots. They both turn in solid performances that call on them to play unlikeable but understood. Skyler Sinclair and Bree Welch take on the most polarizing roles as the candidates to become the secretary. Skyler is the idealist and protestor, while Bree plays the gun loving hillbilly. They make the strongest impressions of the evening just by virtue of where their characters land in the debate. This performance solidifies Bree Welch as a skilled thespian who disappears into any role she takes on.

The set is a pretty simple office, but it is on a spinning turntable used to great effect throughout the evening. We get to look at everything from all sides thanks to Ryan McGettigan, and the actors use the motion as part of the play in several instances. Sound design (Yezminne Zepeda) and lighting (J. Mitchell Cronin) are also spot on with further gun commentary coming out through their execution. This is a smartly constructed show directed ably by Julia Traber. The design aspects are great, and the piece clips along briskly at an hour and a half with no intermission.

If I have one gripe about the entire thing it would be the script by Kyle John Schmidt isn't as smart and sharp as I had hoped. I realize part of the fun of THE SECRETARY is it never comes down heavily on one side or the other on the gun debate, but that also means I sat there frustrated as I felt there was little point to whipping out pistols and taking on issues. The extended metaphor of "the gun has a mind of its own" doesn't get defined well, and I am not sure the comedy works thanks to the hot potato topic we are dealing with. It doesn't skillfully skewer its scandal like HEATHERS does with teen suicide. Black comedy is rough, and I am not sure this one has much more to say other than guns are a complicated mess. We knew that going in, and I don't think it manages to make anybody think twice.

A lady with a handgun in her purse proudly showed it off to me in the parking lot with no pause after the play. She said she'd sleep easy that night, and I wondered if THE SECRETARY meant anything to her. At the end of the day it's a timely topic that I applaud Main Street Theater for producing. There is enough good going on here to recommend a trip into Rice Village to experience a great cast taking aim at guns. Just don't expect revelation or revolution, and you'll be fine. And watch out for the lady in the parking lot who might get too fired up to control herself. Sometimes the guns have a mind of their own, and we're not responsible for what they do.

The Secretary runs through February 10th at Main Street Theater's Rice Village location. Show information and tickets can be found at http://www.mainstreettheater.com/ .

Photo is by Pin Lim / Forest Photography