By: Isaiah Shalwitz

Guns and Chickens is about Peter, a country bumpkin who is hoping to make money in the big city, and also about the side story of Chicken, who is a chicken, searching for a road.  Micha Collective, the creators of Guns and Chickens, do their best to try and make Peter’s adventure come to life and fill it with obstacles, disaster, and triumph.  During Peter’s travels and efforts to make money he meets a host of colorful, albeit one-sided, characters who trick him out of his money, offer good advice which he ignores, or just challenge him to a drinking match.  Peter’s story is certainly entertaining and you won’t be bored, but rather than an inspiring adventure it becomes more a series of comedic sketches that do not leave any lasting imprint.  Plus, Peter himself leaves much to be admired.  He’s an idiot country bumpkin.  It’s hard to feel anything except to laugh at him…which I did.

However, there is this darn chicken that did beg my attention.  Chicken is a curiosity, because what she wants is kind of ridiculous.  She wants to discover a road, any road, and break open the mystery that is the one and only fable in chicken lore, especially since neither she nor her brethren have ever seen a road.  At first, Chicken appears to be just another element of the play’s humor.  Yet her sporadic appearances and seemingly childlike mannerisms drew me into her.  Unlike any other character in the entire 16-person play I asked myself, “What is the purpose of Chicken?”  All she did was discover a road, and that roads are meant to be followed, not crossed.  And then it dawned on me.  This chicken is the Magellan of chickens.  She is going to go back to her coop and redefine the world of chickenism.  She is going to re-write chicken literature to reflect the groundbreaking truth she discovered all because she had not only the courage to go out onto her own, but also the open-mindedness to see what a road truly is. In its simplicity, Chicken has the greatest adventure of all and left me with the greatest impression of the entire performance.

So in the end, when Peter finds Chicken, I found solace that perhaps he will not be such an idiot next time.  But more, I was forced to ask myself: Have I lost my chicken?

Guns and Chickens is conceived, written, and staged by Micha Collective.  All performances are at the Know Theater.  Find out more at www.cincyfringe.com.