Ring of Red: A Barrio Story

Reviewed by Dana Martin
Bootleg Theater 
Through September 30

War is hell. The Vietnam War was especially brutal; the soldiers who returned received little support from their fellow Americans. Bootleg Theater shines a new light on a group too often overlooked: veteranos. Ring of Red: A Barrio Story examines the aftermath of war through the lens of Latino Vietnam war veterans and their families.

A degree of invisibility informs the Latino population that served during Vietnam. The Department of Defense didn’t even bother to keep track of them until almost the end of the conflict. Carrying a strong sense of pride and duty, many young Latino men enlisted. They had seen their fathers and relatives return from World War II as celebrated heroes. They were eager to join their peers on the front, to make their families proud and prove a sense of belonging in the United States. Participating in the war effort was the ultimate display of patriotism. Although Latino soldiers suffered discrimination within their units, they often volunteered for the most perilous missions as proof of their bravery and machismo. Those that returned home faced a nation with no interest in honoring — or even recognizing — their sacrifice. Their American dream became a nightmare.

Playwright Tomás Summers Sandoval weaves interviews and stories told by a group of Chicano vets about their time in the military and the havoc it created in their lives upon returning home. All of the men suffered from PTSD, and many dealt with depression and addiction in the years following their return. There are interviews from wives and other family members affected by their close proximity to these affected veterans. The stories are interconnected, and each character reveals his or her point of view a few sentences at a time. It becomes difficult to keep track of each individual story, and the result is to dampen the individuality of each character, creating a somewhat disjointed narrative.

Director Rose Portillo keeps the staging simple enough. The actors aren’t quite comfortable with the onstage movement, so the visuals created throughout seem stiff. The story itself pivots from the meeting of a support group to the jungles of Vietnam — a shift Portillo manages simply and effectively. The lighting design by Martha Carter is dramatic and effective, adding much to the evening. Rani de Leon’s sound design drops us squarely into the 60’s.

The acting ensemble, Raul Cardona, Diana Shield, Paul Renteria, Tom Sandoval, Jonée Shady and Richard Soto, are solid and compelling despite several hiccups. The actors manage to convey an authentic sense of having grappled with the atrocities of war for several years while maintaining pride and dignity. Many veterans have extreme difficulty talking about what they experienced during Vietnam, and these actors bring difficult stories to life bravely and compassionately. Nonetheless, the production is still quite stilted and needs some time to settle into the power of its message.

Young vets returning home from this war didn’t receive a hero’s welcome like their fathers and relatives. What these soldiers did have was a strong sense of family values and community. While the nation they served and protected turned its back on their sacrifice, the family and community provided love, support and space for them to begin the lifelong healing process. They came back traumatized, suffering from physical and psychological wounds, and their loved ones were there to pick up the pieces. Ring of Red: A Barrio Story is about the effects of war, not only on the vets who served, but on an entire community. It all comes back to family.

Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., Echo Park; Fri.-Sat., 7 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through Sep. 30. (213)-289-3856 or bootlegtheater.org. Running time: 2 hours with no intermission.