'Heart' recalls struggles of Vietnam

By Molly Gore

The cathartic tales of six women in Vietnam struck a chord with baby boomers and a younger set alike this weekend in Shirley Lauro's "A Piece of My Heart."

Lauro's play examines the crushed expectations of these women as they enter the war scene and the psychological turmoil of being thrust into a life so overwhelming and unforgiving.

Though the Vietnam War itself is an emotional touch point for many and could be easily exploited as such, the cast and the script did a fine job of not overplaying the inherent drama of the war. However, the second act, though poignant and stirring and with no discredit to the cast, became disappointingly predictable.

The script requires its players to change roles as the show goes on, especially in the first act, instantly changing the mood as a new monologue begins. Some members of the cast played as many as seven different character roles throughout the course of the show.

Freshmen Alexandra Steinman and Monique Hafen and junior Hayley Lovgren glided from hopeful excitement to complete disillusionment as they came unprepared to grip the reality of nursing and show life in Vietnam. Sophomore Rya Thomas, as intelligence officer Steele, provides a constant source of positivity to the newcomers as they quickly realize the callous and unforgiving nature of life in Vietnam.

The second act finds the women amidst social struggles as they return home and try to reassume the life and feelings they had before the war, only to find they have become emotional misfits with new perspectives. Yet the struggles and sanctuaries that surround these women are overtly conventional and foreseeable.

Each woman discovers she is unable to readjust to her American life, struggling with bankruptcy, alcoholism or discrimination based on gender and race.

By the end, each woman finds refuge, whether through therapy, religion or activism. However, the play would have been able to stand on its own without coming full circle. If anything, such a conclusive ending watered down the potency of its message to recognize the forgotten American women in Vietnam.

Junior Meaghan Sloane brought to the show a convincing performance of Whitney, a wealthy college girl whose rigid propriety leads to conflict with a string of men both during and after Vietnam, and ultimately leads to a quiet life of alcoholism. Sloane is so quiet and earnest that the subtle anguish shown through her performance felt so genuine and understated that at some points it felt uncomfortable viewing such an intimate emotive purging.

Sophomore Francesca McKenzie also gave an especially convincing performance of hippie-turned-army nurse LeeAnn, delivering her cutting lines and moments of outrage and fear with bona fide, passionate rawness.

The Fess Parker Theatre provided an intimate atmosphere for the small cast and their personal performances, as most of the play was almost entirely a series of confessions spoken to the audience.

The women played various side roles to augment the stories of the other women. The costume change was minimal and consisted mostly of one small prop, but the acting was dynamic enough that persuasion of costume was not needed.

The male roles were played by only two men, sophomore Ari Zlotoff and freshman Jeffrey Adams. Zlotoff transitioned from smug to vulnerable with ease, providing the antagonist to each woman's story. Adams was equally believable and understated, and among his roles offered an authentic but unexaggerated performance of a dying amputee and a shamelessly brash soldier.

The staging was effectively minimal, with graduated platforms and the backdrop of army-green netting draped over the walls, but it fit the show and did not distract from the performance. The lighting of jungle leaves against the back walls was hardly noticeable but lent an element of the natural and the wild to the Vietnam setting.

The solemn tone throughout the performance was occasionally interrupted by a musical interlude sung by Southern daisy and girl band member Mary Jo, played by Hafen, either alone with her guitar or accompanied by the vocals of other women in the cast. The women harmonized beautifully as they sang some retro classics like Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and other popular staples of the 1970s.

The performance was warmly accepted by the audience -- some attendees gasped, choked mutters or muffled sighs at its more intense moments.

Contact Molly Gore at (408) 551-1918 or mgore@scu.edu.