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Of greed, music, war and the dating game BY JEAN LOWERISON Gay and Lesbian Times - November 3, 2005 A Piece of My Heart The Vietnam War is still a scar on the hearts and minds of Americans who lived through the era, and should serve forever as a caution to government officials who contemplate incursions into foreign lands. Thousands of American men (and many more thousands of Vietnamese) were lost or wounded in that war, but the many women who also served have been largely forgotten. Mo’olelo Performing Arts company takes a step toward setting that right with A Piece of My Heart, telling the stories of six women who served in Vietnam. Based on interviews recorded in Keith Walker’s book of the same title, playwright Shirley Lauro follows the women from the idealism of enlistment through the hell of the war, and into the 20-year period after their return home. The characters include: Martha (Erika Beth Phillips), a Navy nurse; Maryjo (Nicole Gabriella Scipione), singer and guitarist in a rock band; Army nurses Sissy (Siobhan Sullivan) and Leeann (Seema Sueko); Red Cross volunteer Whitney (Natalie Salins); and Steele (Valerie J. Ludwig), an Army intelligence officer. Lance Arthur Smith plays a variety of American men. It’s heartbreaking enough to watch their transition from fresh-faced do-gooders to exhausted war veterans, but nearly unbearable to witness their lives after ’Nam. All suffer some form of post-traumatic stress, accompanied variously by alcoholism, suicidal thoughts, nightmares and anger. A Piece of My Heart is a moving piece and a fine ensemble effort, effectively staged and well directed by Siobhan Sullivan. Mo’olelo is providing performances for local students as a teaching aid, in partnership with the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center in Balboa Park (where the play is presented) and Young Audiences of San Diego. This is an important piece of U.S. history well worth seeing. A Piece of My Heart plays through Nov. 6 at the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center (on the corner of Park Boulevard and Presidents Way) in Balboa Park. Shows Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5, at 8:00 p.m.; matinee Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2:00 p.m. For tickets, call (619) 342-7395 or e-mail tickets@moolelo.net. |