Steadstyle Chicago
	July 2010 Theatre Review by Paul Cosca
	Shoot Faster, Dear Brother, I'm Dying! There is something to be said about the boldness of a theatrical experiment.  With as many times as "A Christmas Carol" is done any year, I am always enthusiastic about a group of people who are willing to take a risk and do something new.  Unfortunately, not every experiment is a success, and while "Shoot Faster, Dear Brother, I'm Dying!" has noble intentions, things don't always work out as planned. "Shoot Faster" claims that "theatre goers have long clamored for a three-person epistolary comedy about the Civil War".  While this may or may not be true, I applaud the fact that they stuck true to their intentions.  "Shoot Faster" tells the fictional story of Chauncey and Adam Binjimmons, brothers in the 1860s who lived through the war and kept up to date with each other through letters that were later found and compiled into this show.  Adam was a family man, living with his wife and their two children in Virginia.  Chauncey had more of a head for adventure, and after the war ended he headed out west to begin a new life in the frontier. "Shoot Faster" tries to set a tone as soon as you walk in the door, with a simple but effective set design by Scott Gerwitz and the simple but much less effective musical stylings of Mike Casey.  After seeing "That Sordid Little Story" last week, I was ready to enjoy some great banjo and fiddle music, and Mike Casey did little but disappoint.  The entire musical effect was apparently supposed to invoke the idea of a great Ken Burns documentary, but his playing was so bad that it was just hard to listen to at times.  I am sure that prerecorded music would have been just fine, and no one would have really missed the feel of a live musician. Luckily, the show improves as the story begins.  The letters, written by performers Joe Anderson and Demian Krentz, are witty and seem to always be in purpose of the story they are trying to tell.  Krentz and Anderson are genuinely funny people, and their comic timing extends greatly both in the letters and in the performances of them.  All the letters definitely have an authentic vibe to them, and though they are never uproariously funny, they get consistent chuckles throughout. It's a little difficult to judge "Shoot Faster".  With most shows, the big question is, does the show achieve what it sets out to do?  It wanted to be a funny show about two brothers in the Civil War, and it absolutely achieves all that it's going for.  But how long can you really stretch the entertainment of a comedy about the Civil War?  Not quite as long as the running time of "Shoot Faster, Dear Brother, I'm Dying!", it seems. "Shoot Faster, Dear Brother, I'm Dying!", directed by Amanda Blake Davis, runs Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm through July 31, 2010.  All performances at Apollo Studio Theatre (2540 N. Lincoln Ave).  Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.shootfaster.com.  For more information on this show, please visit the Theatre In Chicago Shoot Faster, Dear Brother page.   About Paul Cosca Paul Cosca is a writer, actor, director, designer, and critic who loves the city of Chicago. Originally from California, Cosca moved to the windy city in 2005 and got a BFA in acting from Roosevelt University. He has acted and directed in several theatres in the city and is the artistic Director of Brikenbrak Theatre Project, a theatre that is devoted to challenging the way people think. Cosca is devoted to creating a dialogue between all kinds of people in the theatre community. He believes that actors, directors, writers, critics, and theatre lovers should all engage each other, and that the flow of communication is what makes theatre such a vibrant community. He would love to hear what you think, not only about his reviews, but about other shows you've seen. Feel free to send him an email at paulcosca@gmail.com.