A 60’s Trilogy

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
USVAA Vets Repertory and Revenant Stage
Through September 23

Presented by the USVAA Vets Repertory and Revenant Stage (formerly the Elephant Theatre), Tommy Carter’s trio of one-acts is capably directed by David Fofi. All of them evoke disquieting recollections of the America of the 1960’s, a period like no other in our nation’s history — when the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement and the assassinations of Martin Luther King and the brothers Kennedy ignited transformations across the country.

The best, most emotionally resonant of these is Montgomery. It takes place in a hospital emergency room waiting area where we see Mary (Jean Noel Ruhland) and Larry (John Charles Meyer), both of whom have been beaten bloody, shouting for treatment from an apparently hostile staff. They are among the many whites who marched in support of black civil rights and have suffered the consequences. After a short time, the mood of the play turns even darker, as the roots of their commitment are revealed. Both recount incidences from their childhood when they were not so sympathetic: Larry, as an eleven-year-old child, took part in a horrific lynching, and in a voice barely above a whisper speaks of the “black thing dangling,” while Mary passively watched the assault of her black childhood friend that resulted in rape and murder. It’s a haunting piece, buoyed by Meyer and Ruhland’s fine performances.

Jack Ruby is My Idol, takes place in Memphis at a room in the Lorraine Motel years after the murder of Martin Luther King. Julie (Chantel Deniese), a black woman in a wheelchair, is visited by a white man, Chuckie (Joe Dalo). She initially doesn’t recognize him, but gradually the link between them is revealed, and we learn that he was “white trash” taken in by her family when he was a child during the years of the Kennedy presidency (Camelot is frequently mentioned throughout, but its significance is a cipher). Julie, in town for a formal ceremony, is a poetess of some renown and an embittered militant who frequently hurls racist insults at Charlie, while he, after quite a lot of ineffectual dialogue, inexplicably announces his love for her, and even proposes. A revelation towards the end about his part in a bombing that killed her mother is heavy-handed contrivance. This attempt to inform the present via the past doesn’t work well here. There is no compelling dramatic arc, and the writing is sluggish and too opaque to survey the emotional or psychological interiors or “whatness” of these characters. Performances are satisfactory.

Much better is Raw Open Wound, which takes place in 1982 at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington. Assembled are Nurse Francine (Lorna Duyn), Vince Speeze (Tony Williams), Julio (Mark Adair Rios), and Meadows (Lawrence Dillard), all of whom have served in Vietnam and are plagued by their experiences. The first minutes consist of lighthearted, humorous banter and pleasant recollections among Julio, Speeze and Meadows, with the shell-shocked Nurse Francine mostly locked into the “thousand-yard stare,” except when she erupts with incoherent shouts.  Things turn ugly and volatile when Ray (Scott Krinsky) enters to honor his best friend. Queries about Ray reveal that he burned his draft card and did not serve, which in short order makes him the target of furious abuse, both physical and verbal — but ultimately, a desperately needed channel of catharsis for them all. Good performances augment this thought-provoking piece, although the script could use some judicious trimming to intensify its dramatic impact. Matt Richter’s lighting is effective throughout, and Fofi’s barebones staging with just a few props works well.

The New American Theatre, 1312 N. Wilton Pl., Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m., through Sep. 23. www.plays411.com/trilogy. Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission.