[NEohioPAL]Berko review: THE THINGS THEY CARRIED (Idea Center)

[Roy Berko]

‘The Things They Carried’ MESMERIZES

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	


Every once in a while a theatre-goer has an experience
in which the images developed by writer and the actors
envelopes him or her and remains for a long time.  I
had such an experience when I saw ‘THE THINGS THEY
CARRIED,’ a contemporary literature piece about the
writer’s Vietnam War experiences, which was presented
at the Idea Center of Playhouse Square as part of
their Discovery series.

The one-man play is based on Tim O’Brien’s best
selling book about the Vietnam war.  In reality, it’s
more than a book about the war.  It is a series of
stories creatively written with the intimacy of a
searing autobiography.   It is also a mirror held up
to the frailty of humanity.   It also is a great
catalyst for thinking about the present Iraqi
conflict.  Much of the discussion during the
after-talk centered on the parallels of the deceptive,
misguided and ego-centered thinking which carried this
country into both conflicts.

Since it was first published, ‘THE THINGS THEY
CARRIED’ has become an unparalleled Vietnam testament,
a classic work of American literature and a profound
study of men at war and how war affects not only the
combatants, but those left at home and those living
where the battles are fought. 

The title of the book and the play centers on what the
soldiers carried:  malaria tablets, love letters,
28-pound mine detectors, dope, illustrated Bibles, and
each other. And, if they made it home alive, they
carried unrelenting images of a nightmarish war that
history is only beginning to absorb. 

The play, which has been developed into both a
30-minute version to be showcased in junior and senior
high schools as the center of a discussion about war,
and an hour version to be presented in commercial
venues, goes beyond the book.  The play starts as we
share with O’Brien, who has just graduated from
college and is readying to go for his master’s degree
at Harvard, the emotion of receiving his draft notice.
 O’Brien, who objects to the war, is caught between
family and community loyalty and his desire to flee. 
We travel with O’Brien to the Canadian border, share
his decision not to cross into the unknown, getting
drafted, fighting in the war, and returning a
different person from when he left.  A person who now
carries emotions and experiences he would rather not
have as part of his life baggage.

The play was developed in a collaboration between
O’Brien, the play’s director, Wynn Handman, actor
Dashiel Eaves and cellist Mark Wind.  The full-length
version is getting its world premiere in Cleveland.  

Handsome, intense and talented Eaves is compelling in
the role of O’Brien.  He does not portray O’Brien, he
is O’Brien.   I found myself so enmeshed with Eaves
that I forgot I was in a theatre.  His every nuance
helped activate all of my senses.  I saw Canada so
close, but so far away.  I smelled the burning flesh
of the buffalo that was senselessly slaughtered.  I
saw the one legged boy.  I heard the helicopters
overhead, the bombs exploding.  My eyes welled when
his did as he recollected his emotional reactions. 
This was one proficient, very proficient performance. 

Wind has created haunting music.  He sets the mood,
makes transitions and underscores ideas with perfectly
written and played sounds.

The talk back after the show was also a unique
experience.  The audience, which included a humanities
class from a Michigan high school, asked pointed and
intelligent questions.  Both cellist Wind and actor
Eaves displayed a depth of knowledge about the war and
the project beyond the script.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:   It’s a shame that ‘THE THINGS
THEY CARRIED’ only had a three-day run.  It is the
kind of presentation that could have had a long
open-ended run and developed a cult following.  I will
long remember the experience!

NOTE:  For those who read this review before November
13, there are performances that day at 3 PM & 7 PM at
the Discovery Center at Playhouse Square Center.  For
tickets call 216-241-6000.


Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.


	
		
__________________________________ 
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 
http://mail.yahoo.com