Mike Daisey in ‘The Story of the Gun’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre through August 9, 2018. Photo: Woolly Mammoth Theatre.
Mike Daisey has opinions—lots of opinions—and delivers them in a tour-de-force one-man show that doesn’t hold back. He is profane, smart, and funny as all get out.
There is a bit of the history of the gun included in his monologue, actually starting with the Chinese inventing gunpowder (and a delightful aside about fireworks) and then jumping to the English longbow, but more importantly is how he links this history with colonialism and an ever-growing aggression.
It’s funny. It’s thoughtful. It’s a whole lot of theatre packed into a little more than 90 minutes.
When Daisey speaks of the story of the gun, he means it in a much broader sense than just the history of the development of explosive weapons; he looks at the impact of those weapons and how they have shaped human exploration, migration, colonization, settlement, and power. It is a grim picture considered in the aggregate—there is so much power in such a relatively simple and elegant tool, and it can be used so very harshly.
But Daisey did not present his theme as just a riff on the evils of guns; he has first-hand knowledge of them and their usefulness. Coming from a northern Maine background where hunting and evidently potato farming form the background of much of the culture, he recognizes guns for the tools they are, and for how misused they are. He is kind enough to pepper his performance with very, very funny stories that invite a whole new way of looking at our norms. I personally (small spoiler alert) will never look at a deer again without thinking a deer is really just a fast cow. A fast, stringy cow. As he notes, there is a reason we have herds of cows but do not have herds of deer behind fences in pastures.
His stories make us look at the gun culture of the United States, which has roughly 330 million people and 350 million guns, and wonder why? Why do we worship at the altar of violence? Just how ingrained in our DNA now is the belief that more and more powerful weapons are needed? How can we point these weapons at other people and use them? How do we justify our killers within? And how can we move past this?
He doesn’t offer any easy answers. He acknowledges there are no easy answers. There is a sadness at the darkness that is encroaching more and more in these times, particularly politically. It is a thoughtful show that segues from point to point and circles back to these questions.
Then, towards the end, he leans into the audience and confesses why he will not have a gun. It is a deeply personal moment and a brave one. He has faced demons inside and made a choice. Without ever preaching, he passively invites the audience to do the same.
This is a riveting show. It is worth seeing because it can start some interesting conversations about where do we want to go, personally and as a species. And it is very well done—his timing is impeccable and he uses his voice and expressions to bring scenes from his own life among gun-owners alive.
It’s funny. It’s thoughtful. It’s a whole lot of theatre packed into a little more than 90 minutes.
One caveat—on the elevator down to the first floor, several elderly patrons noted they had a little difficulty hearing him at the very end when his voice quieted as he spoke about his own choice. I don’t know if he was miked, but it might be worth checking with the theatre beforehand about seating and/or assisted listening devices.
Show Advisory: Cursing. Lots of cursing. But in a very funny way.
Running Time: Approximately 100 minutes without an intermission.
“The Story of the Gun” runs July 31 – August 9, 2018, at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington, DC. For more information, please click here.
