History of a Handgun presented by Bruised Orange Theatre at Strawdog Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Not Recommended

"...What seems at first to be a snapshot of small-town corruption and intrigue soon devolves into a confusing and underdeveloped knot of stories--that touches on a troubled female Iraq war veteran (source of the title weaponry), a hotly contested mayoral election, unsolved murders (complete with a seemingly prophetic ghost), marital discontent and an apocalyptic flood."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Written and directed by Bruised Orange Theater Company artistic director Clint Sheffer, this unfocused, seldom funny dark comedy about a corrupt small town would have been much more successful with fewer story lines and a coherent, complete narrative. Sheffer tosses in so much--including a pointless, sensational subplot about finding the killer of two locals--that we stop caring about his characters. He does have an ear for convincing dialogue, however, and there's some strong acting, especially by the women."

Windy City Times - Not Recommended

"...All of this is apparent ( and tiring ) while sitting through Bruised Orange Theater Company’s world-premiere production at Strawdog Theatre. Perhaps the limited air conditioning aggravates one’s patience, but Sheffer’s History of a Handgun contains so much overheated histrionics that you squirm for a swift conclusion."

Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Around 10pm or so—the play runs two hours and 25 minutes—Sheffer the director wins outs. And since by that time he’s teased us with tantalizing plot twists, and drawn especially strong performances out of Ann Sonneville as a wraithlike Iraq War vet and Tiffany Bedwell as her estranged gal pal, it’s almost tempting to err on the old storefront side of it’s-flawed-but-you-should-see-it-anyway."

ChicagoCritic - Not Recommended

"...Clint Sheffer is a talent and parts of this play were workable. Unfortunately, his ambition to create a complicated small town show led him to get mired in the details. Better to revisit, with red pencil in hand, this potentially interesting play. The ending is terrific but we have to muddle through 2 hours to get there."