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San Diego Theatre Scene CURTAIN CALLS by Pat Launer www.sdtheatrescene.com 10/28/05 Three eras, historically speaking; Each gets dramatic or comic tweaking: From ‘40s Hollywood and the ‘Jew Movie’ scam To ‘A Piece of My Heart’ left behind in ‘Nam. And the modern-day singing of ‘Bad Date’ blues (which is tempered, at least, by buying new shoes). WAR STORIES THE SHOW: ‘A Piece of My Heart,’ by Shirley Lauro (1991) based on the 1985 book of the same name by writer/filmmaker Keith Walker, in which he interviewed 26 female Vietnam veterans THE SCOOP: The heart-breaking (sometimes gut-wrenching), poignant, and largely untold stories of women who went to Vietnam and found it hard to come Back in the World. THE STORY and BACKSTORY: It’s estimated that some 15,000 women volunteered to serve in Vietnam. Amazingly, the exact number is not known. We know how many weapons were bought and how many Vietnamese lives were lost, but not the number of our own citizens who signed up, out of duty, bravery, curiosity, self-sacrifice or naiveté, to serve their country during war – mostly as nurses, or Red Cross workers, and in one case in this script, an idealistic entertainer. Lauro’s play, which tells six women’s stories (with one man standing in for all their male experiences), has been seeing a resurgence since 2001. And it’s no wonder. Although the piece is decidedly non-partisan, it’s hard not to draw parallels to today, as we stand mired in another aimless, pointless war, with 1/3 of returning veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and at risk for substance abuse and suicide (both of which are represented in these coming-home stories). In her own way, each woman takes the journey from ambition to horror to disillusionment to healing. Mobilizing the community to get these chronicles heard – by both young and old -- the fledgling Mo’olelo Theatre teamed up with two organizations: the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center (one of the costumes belongs to a Navy nurse; many vets were consultants to the production and are participating in post-show discussions and school visits) and Young Audiences of San Diego (which will allow the piece to be seen by 11th and 12th graders county-wide). Made up mostly of monologues, the stories are linked together to make these women comrades without arms. We jump in and out of the various stories, and though each tale is dramatic in its own right, there’s little dramatic arc to the play. The first act comprises the sign-up motivations and then horrors or war; the second, more moving, deals with the difficulties of returning to a civilian life devoid of the wartime adrenaline, camaraderie or meaning. The ending is one of sadness placed in a positive light. We learn that “Women die in combat even though they never carry a gun.” After all is said and done, their stories aren’t very different from the men’s; but their general neglect (and sometime sexual abuse) is. Interesting side-note: There were only seven women’s names on the Vietnam War Memorial wall. But in 1993, a Vietnam Women's Memorial was erected on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. The 6 1/2 foot-high bronze sculpture depicts three women attending a fallen soldier, an image that perfectly reflects the narratives in this play. THE PLAYERS: This is a lovely ensemble piece, performed by a skilled ensemble. The characters are drawn to represent a range of rationales and motivations for going into this war. Erika Beth Phillips is solid throughout as no-nonsense Martha, the ‘Navy brat’ who became, inevitably, a Navy nurse. Nicole Gabriella Scipione is the wide-eyed, big-smile blonde, who takes her Texas all-girl band on a tour of bases, in the hope of doing some good and earning some money (which was never forthcoming). She’s the one subject to gang rape, which is ignored by military brass. At first, Scipione seems mindless, with her flighty mien and wispy voice (playing guitar and singing ‘60s folk songs), but she grows in depth from her overseas experiences and takes a heartbreaking nosedive on her return to the States. Five days before the show opened, director Siobhan Sullivan stepped into the role of Sissy, a nurse who ”just wanted to save the world.” Sullivan blends in beautifully with the rest of the cast – and her comfort in the role on opening night was impressive. As the Vassar grad Whitney, Natalie Salins transforms from a tight-lipped, Red Cross rich girl (in “a Dixie cup hat and girdle”) into a beautiful but lost woman. Seema Sueko, artistic director of Mo’olelo, brings her energy and enthusiasm to the most conflicted character, at least at first; an anti-war hippie, Leeann volunteered in order to pay for her last year of nursing school, planning to get sent to Hawaii. She gets quite an education instead, but in her way, she remains an activist to the end. Valerie J. Ludwig plays Steele, a long-term, polyglot WAC specializing in intelligence, who runs into racism at every turn. Ludwig gives an aptly steely performance, resigned but resolute. Lance Arthur Smith does a masterful job of playing a wide array of military types, from the sensitive to the monstrous, the dying to the maimed, and most amusingly, the barking drill sergeant who gives pre-show instructions to the audience, to which they dutifully respond, as demanded, “Sir, yes Sir.” THE PRODUCTION: As director, Sullivan finds every way possible to keep the action and the tension high. She’s ably abetted by Paul Peterson’s marvelous sound design and Kim Palma’s wonderful lighting. The final image, of the names on the Vietnam War Memorial projected across the standing cast, will remain in memory for a long time to come. As their bodies thrust the names into relief, they seem hauntingly corpselike, yet at the same time, they give human dimension to some of those 58,191 faceless names. THE LOCATION: Mo’olelo at the Veteran’s Museum and Memorial Center across from Balboa Park, through November 6. THE BOTTOM LINE: Best Bet |