As the intro of ACDC’s “Back in Black” fades away in time with the stunning pictures of military personnel on duty, 10 actors take the stage in a well-done “V” type formation. Nine, both men and women, are in casual DCU or ACU attire and stand at the position of at-ease.
One woman separates herself slightly and wears only patriotic civilian clothes. This is Letters Home: Voices of American Troops from the Battlefields of Iraq.
Now playing at the Studio Theatre in the Chicago Cultural Center, Letters Home provides an insight to the lives of the men and women of American Armed Forces in Iraq. As the name implies, the play is the recitation of numerous letters written to family and friends by real men and women overseas, as well as a few letters written by parents to their sons, daughters, as well as to Command in Iraq.
The set feels slightly like an empty barracks. It is scant, not much more than a few hanging light bulbs and some boxes for the actors to sit upon. This makes for an even better delivery of the soldiers’ words. The set allows the audience to focus on the desolation that many of our military feel overseas and really see into the soul of the letters that are recited.
What really makes this play so special is that these letters truly come alive in this play. The emotion with which war letters are written is often hard to describe. The cast, however, plays out the emotions with such insight, one wonders if these actors and actresses have had any military experience. In fact, the acting is done so well that laughs are as likely to occur as tears during the performance.
Only one life is ever told about at one time, mostly covering the lives, and even deaths, of some 12 soldiers. The letters written by angst-ridden mothers are read by only one woman, Melissa Riemer, whose words are so full of feeling that it becomes difficult not to shed tears during her parts.
The show tends to focus on the early part of the war, thus the letters come mostly from members of the USMC and active Army. Only one set of letters, revisited by Kevin Kingston, are written by a member of the National Guard. These Guard letters bring a sense of hope and fun to the play but seem to reinforce the idea that the National Guard does little in combat in contrast to the active military.
This show is a must-see for every single American who had ever tried to form an opinion of the war in Iraq, especially members of the military and their families. This play may be the key to unlocking guarded doors for those returning from OIF as well as civilians trying to understand what really goes on.
Letters Home truly gets away from the politics of the Iraq War, and promises to open eyes to the lives and deaths of the people involved “over there”.
Letters Home will be at the Chicago Cultural Center now through Feb. 18. Performances are Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. with matinee performances on Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for students and seniors and $20 otherwise. 312.742.8497, www.dcatheater.org.