The Actors Are Packing Imitation Heat

One of the truly best things about this show, Assassins, is the fact that the batshit among us will get to carry guns: Pistols that fire blanks. How better to prepare than to practice with the genuine article?

A few of us went out to the Arms Range in Upper Marlboro last night. Following an informative safety lesson and coverage of some terminology, we went into the target range and busted some caps with .38 caliber revolvers. Damn.

It was surprising how quickly we got used to the very loud noise; thankfully the blanks we’re firing on stage will be notably quieter. But still loud.

The other surprise? It was fun. Before last night, I hadn’t touched a gun since Boy Scouts. (No-- it wasn’t a rough troop. Just shotgun merit badge, folks.) It was exhilarating. And at close range, my aim was pretty decent, to boot. One-handed!

Yah, the majority of training this days leans toward a two-handed grip, but keep in mind these wackos largely did their shooting before it was popular. And they had little to no experience with firearms in the first place. So there.

Diego, our John Wilkes Booth, got in some good shots with his “Sic Semper Special”, while Andrea (or Dead-Eye, as I will now very respectfully call her) deliberately pegged one paper target, square in the groin. She promptly took the, uh, bulls-eye home to show her husband of six weeks. Gulp.

We resume rehearsal tonight and will go on almost non-stop through next Friday, when we open. Hope you have a good one, folks.