In the Heart of America

by David Anthony Fox

War is hell.

But you knew that, yes? If so, you might consider skipping In the Heart of America, a play by Naomi Wallace that (despite a few original scenes) reinforces that point Ö and not much else.

Oh, don't get me wrong -- there's plenty of plot. Craver Perry and Remzi Saboura are young soldiers fighting in the Kuwaiti desert. Perry is a Kentucky-born Anglo-American, and self-described "trash." Saboura is Palestinian-American, and freighted with "where do I fit in?" issues -- as well as with a sister, Fairouz, who (like Laura in The Glass Menagerie) limps along with clubfoot, and (unlike Laura) is both angry and sexually experienced.

As if all this and a Gulf War weren't trouble enough, the young men find themselves falling in love with each other.

Wait -- there's more. Two ghostly figures wander in from another war. Lue Ming, a Vietnamese girl, was a victim of atrocities at the hands of Americans. Lieutenant Boxler is a crusty, bulldog-ish U.S. officer (can any war play not have one?) whose service in Vietnam is linked to Ming's fate. Ming and Boxler are a kind of chorus, commenting on the contemporary world of Perry and the Saboura siblings.

Alas, when these various shards of story merge, it's mostly messy and states the obvious -- that is, that all war is terrible. Wallace's writing is rife with iconic signifiers, many of which land with thudding obviousness (Perry was born in the town of Hazard; the two soldiers make metaphoric love by erotically describing aircraft.). But even when she creates genuinely touching moments -- and there are some -- her antiwar conception is generalized and hectoring, lacking the specificity that separates tract from art.

At Interact, director Seth Rozin provides a handful of memorable images, but more often the peripatetic staging further confuses an already cumbersome story, and the entire production is heavy with earnestness. Jennifer Kato (Lue Ming) and especially the excellent Buck Schirner (Boxler) are better than the other three actors, which has the disconcerting effect of making the ghosts seem more fleshly than their living companions.

In the Heart of America receives its Philadelphia premiere here, but the play is 10 years old. Clearly it owes its afterlife to another Gulf War, as well as to the sad fact that addled President George-the-father has been followed by President George Dubya, the pea-brained son. These unhappy second comings are fodder for thought, certainly -- but Wallace's play is not so thoughtful as it should be, nor sufficiently resonant to provoke long-term interest. America is strictly Bush league.

IN THE HEART OF AMERICA

Through March 14, Interact Theatre Company at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-568-8079

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