Christine Alton
“A Piece of My Heart,” a well-written and exquisitely performed anti-war Vietnam play, can be described in one word-intense.
It is not for the faint of heart, with emotional strings attached to every descriptive word on a gray stage with few props to support the deep meaning of each line.
The women characters did their part as actresses in bringing the play to life on a small, plain set.
The first act is quite long and a little drawn out depicting the time right before and during Vietnam. The actors multi-tasked playing their own main character roles, and a few minor parts each. The production was too small for the talent that bellowed into the Dow Arena Theatre on Saturday night.
The character that stuck out the most in the play was Mary Jo, played by Kia Herman.
She was the lead singer of a band called The Sugar Candies that toured a year in Vietnam. Her music, along with that of Jessica Verdi, playing Jess, the other guitarist, brought the play to new levels of vibrancy.
At the most severe moments, they pick up their guitars and the perfect song enhances the mood.
Ranging from Led Zepplin, to John Lennon, to Pink Floyd guitar riffs, the music truly was the best part of the play. It comes in waves that draws the audience in, especially when one can sing along.
Herman and Verdi had brilliant voices that stayed true to each song and brought life to what could have been monotonous dialogue.
A huge, deep voice and contributing factor to the play’s key elements was the part of Steele, played by Arianna D. Wheat. She played a down-south woman with high-hopes and a yearning to excel in the intelligence branch of the Army.
In a world where women and blacks could not succeed, she struggled for equaltiy. Her voice could be heard throughout the entire building and was completely unforgettable.
The three nurses, Sissy, LeeAnn, and Whitney, had the most involved roles. Played by Jennifer McCluskey, Kristina Reyes, and Natasha Red, respectively, each kept the majority of the elder audience captivated.
Spanning the lives of the characters, these girls took their roles and made them their own. In the ending scenes, they gave their characters a soul and made it feel as real as the lives the play was based on.
The second act, even more heart-wrenching than the first, is an emotional roller coaster ranging over a span of more than 10 years, beginning with them getting off the plain in San Francisco.
The music plays, the girls scream their hearts out and bring the audience onto the stage with them.
Dylan Cronin and J.R. Cruz played the American men. Their roles consisted of so many parts, each executed with excellence. They ranged from soldiers, to the suspicious agent of The Sugar Candies, to an old man at the airport.
Their wide range of knowledge of each part made their scenes easy to follow and their counter-characters distinguishable.
“A Piece of My Heart” is timely to the situation this country is in right now. We are in the midst of another Vietnam-in Iraq. More than 100,000 have died and thousands more risk their lives daily, but for what?
It shows the true impact war has on peoples’ lives. From fighting to survive in a foriegn country, to trying to re-adapt to society once home, war displaces our humanity.
On opening night, two Army recruiters arrived in full uniform and left in the middle because they felt there was too much propaganda. Whatever an individual’s thought is on war, “A Piece of My Heart,” definitely portrays the unglamorous and real side.
It kept the audience laughing and in awe. Each line was well executed, with some parts a little over-dramatized, but most of all hit directly home. Vietnam is known as the second civil war and once again our country is divided.
The actors took on a challenge of bringing the play out in the open and into our hearts and minds. But they did it-and everyone should watch.
The opportunities to see it next are tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Take the time out of a busy schedule, to see “A Piece of My Heart.” It is well-worth the charge of $10 for students and seniors and $12 for the general public.