The debate on the war in Iraq stirs the political cauldron. On one side, there are those who believe that the mission must be completed; on the other side are those who insist that the mission should be aborted. Both sides acknowledge the brutal and debilitating circumstances American servicemen and-women face, with one side validating the hardship while the other calls for immediate relief. But few people want to talk about the fallout facing the nation when thousands of men and women return home. Are we prepared for the massive number of both physical and mental postwar victims, the economic reintegration and the social cost of assimilating these war-worn servicemen and-women back into the American culture? The arc of war begins with marketing the cause and swiftly moves into the realities on the ground, the heightened sense of danger and adrenalin and finally life after war. ‘ A Piece of My Heart,’ based on the true stories of six women’four nurses, a Red Cross volunteer and an USO entertainer–confronts the audience with the truth these women lived and their struggle during the Vietnam war and after, which reverberates as we are engaged in another war. The play by Shirley Lauro, now on stage at the Morgan-Wixson through the end of the month, is based on the book by Keith Walker, which records the memories of a war in the words of women who went to war, each for a different reason, and were courageous enough to detail the truth of their experiences. In Lauro’s adaptation, the shock begins with the expectations and exigencies of military rigor. The women are humiliated by the brusque impersonality of the commanding officers, rudimentary living conditions, and relentless heat, fear and exhaustion. The women find relief and release in booze, sex and the camaraderie of the sisterhood. But above all, they find comfort by sharing their feelings with one another, which are unfettered and frighteningly boundless. In this production, director Ter’sa Dowell-Vest has double cast each role, with one actor playing the younger woman in war, and the other playing the same woman 20 years later. The device works well not only for the clarity it offers the audience, but for extending the breath of the drama as well. women can remain forceful in their exuberance, naivet’ and hopefulness. With simple staging, a few benches and an evocative backdrop of shredded canvas, the drama unfolds. One girl joins the army to leave home: ‘I wasn’t into anything, I was out of Erie, Pennsylvania.’ Another, a Vassar graduate and Junior League provisional, is excited about going to Vietnam, where French is spoken, because she ‘took her junior year in Paris.’ Another was a hippie, anti-war, who was moved by President Kennedy’s call for service. The play moves swiftly to the war theater, which to these young recruits still feels surreal. ‘How can there be a war down there: it’s green, so green?’ The truth about war engulfs these tender hearts quickly and urgently. The wounded and dying soldiers occupy their days and nights, especially nights, ‘the hardest, because people die at night.’ Their world has collapsed into chaos, fear and terrific loneliness. One girl sums it up: ‘ I have got to go home, it’s getting a little crazy here. It’s like no other place, no other time on earth.’ And then, it’s time to go home. Act II reminds us that the war doesn’t end on the battlefield, but seethes and brews inside. The women are disoriented”I have feelings I don’t understand. I’m the only thing different since I got back.’ Their three years’ experience is discounted; they suffer flashes, night sweats and ennui. In the end, these six women achieve some kind of peace; some go back to school, one finds God, another becomes a lobbyist fighting for the rights of those who have been sickened from Agent Orange. The message for us resides on the Wall on Washington, where the 58,000 names that shine have touched us all. ‘ A Piece of My Heart’ continues at the Morgan-Wixson, 2627 Pico Blvd., through Saturday, October 27, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets ($18 and $15) call (310) 828-7519.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
