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Letters Home: Voices of American Troops From the Battlefields of Iraq
Reviewed by Al Bresloff
January 21, 2007
The Griffin Theatre Company in association with DCA Theaters is presenting a moving tribute to the men and women who serve our country in Iraq. "Letters Home: Voices of American Troops From The Battlefields of Iraq" in the intimate Studio Theater at The Chicago Cultural Center. This 90 minutes ( without intermission) moves very quickly as ten actors bring to life the stories of the men and women serving our country as they become the letter writers and we get to see them as we hear the actual letters written based on the book by Frank Schaeffer. We get to meet these young people and even some of the mothers as they each take center stage in front of a slide projection show of actual shots of the events in Iraq and of the actual people who wrote the letters.
This is a very stirring production and one that will definitely bring a tear to your eye. The content of the letters is very revealing about the people who serve our country, these young men and women who are seeing these far removed from their lives back home. Letters sent during war are of course highly emotional and very honest. The writers miss their families, their friends and their life- to be able to not see these letters, but to feel and hear them makes them even more emotional. These are strong monologues that reveal honest feelings and at the end we find out how some of these stories come to an end- again, bring kleenex.
Director Jennie Cleghorn has put together a very strong cast and uses the small stage to full advantage. Heather Gilbert's lighting effects set the tone and the music and sound by Brett M. Masteller are perfect. This is truly an ensemble piece as most of the actors play more than one role and although they each have their own personal stories, it is the sum of all these stories that make this production as brilliant as it is. Many of us have feelings about this war, but no matter what your personal feelings are, this is a must see- these are real stories and many without happy endings ( bring Kleenex). While the letters are the story, I feel the need to thank each actor for bringing them to life:
Pasquale Di Diana, Kevin Kingston, Niall McGinty, Lynette Morris, Ian Novak, Edward Paull, Jon Schmidt, Amy Speckien, Jess Weinberg and Melissa Riemer ( who handled the parents portion of this show) They are marvelous!
"Letters Home" will run through February 18th at the Cultural Center 77 East Randolph with performances as follows:
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 3 p.m.
There will be an added Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. on February 10th and 17th and NO PERFORMANCE on January 26th.
Post show discussions with the author will take place on February 1-4th.
Tickets are $20 , a true bargain ( $15 for students and seniors). On Thursday, February 1
(Theater Thursday) tickets are $15 and there will be a small reception with the author after the discussion.
To order tickets call 312-742-TIXS(8497), visit the box office located across the street at Gallery 37 Center For The Arts, or online, visit www.dcatheater.org
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