Comic gems found in uncertain times
The Bloomsburg Players put on a convincing and entertaining performance this past week
Christine Perfidio
Issue date: 11/15/01 Section: features
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As director Simon Ghezzi states in the program, "These plays are about freedom , passion, and memories…" Indeed, "Lonestar" and "Private Wars" are a clear display of that statement. The first of the two one-act plays performed in the Theatre Lab was "Lonestar." This play took place in Maynard, Texas behind "Angel's Bar" during a summer night. The play opens to the lead character, Roy (John W. Greth, Jr.), a Vietnam vet, who is sitting outside wishing on the stars. His younger brother, Ray (Nathaniel Feick), enters the scene and provides some light humor, until the topic of the Vietnam War is discussed. This topic sparks many emotions in Roy, who is apparently emotionally disturbed by his remembrance of the violence and the gore of his war experience. At this point, Ray and Roy begin to reminisce about the old days, and Roy's prized possession, a 1959 pink Thunderbird convertible. His car is a form of sexual nostalgia, and he begins to tell Ray of his "learning" experiences in the back seat. Little does Roy know that their pal, Cletis (Matthew Wyrwas), crashed the car only a few weeks earlier. Among this and other things kept from him, Roy finds out and is devastated. The play ends securely with Ray wishing on a lone star in the sky.
Along the same lines as "Lonestar" is "Private Wars," which takes place in a war veteran's hospital over the course of several days and one night. The first scene opens with Gately (Matthew Costa) quietly repairing a radio. It is then that the audience is introduced to the jokester of the hospital, Silvio (Coy DeLuca). Always trying to pick up women, Silvio provides much of the humor throughout the play. Although initially his exterior seems confident, Silvio later reveals that his genitalia were blown off during the war, which compensates for his outrageous behavior. Silvio is constantly tormenting another veteran, Natwick (Leonard Neil), who is sarcastic and often too smart for his own good. In the end, "Private Wars" tastefully tackles the topic of comradery.