March 24-30, 2005

theater

Veteran's Affairs

by Toby Zinman

It is 1971: Vietnam is in flames, college campuses throb with political outrage, sex is everywhere and anywhere, and the cry of "Freedom!" is accompanied by upraised fists. Playwright Larry Loebell brings more than nostalgia to this smart new comedy; it is hard not to feel his pain in the very lack of analogy to the contemporary moment, when, despite a war raging, idealism has been replaced by disaffection or cynicism, sex is haunted by the specter of disease, and upraised fists usually belong to somebody you don't want to know.

John Wesley Reed, a Vietnam vet, lives in an old, immobilized Citroen on the edge of some gorgeous Colorado property. The owners want desperately to develop it, and they want him off, out, gone. He lives on beef jerky and washes in the public library. A self-styled guru, he seems to be able to quote from every poem ever written and every movie ever filmed. In Seth Reichgott's bravura performance, Reed sometimes seems deeply damaged, sometimes dangerous, sometimes absurd, sometimes obscene; but always brilliant and seductive, a wild man impervious to conventional rules of behavior. (If there is anything to complain about, it is that the character, by my calculations, should be about 27, while Reichgott looks about 40, which creates some confusion.)

Reed befriends a young college student (David Raphaely, conveying irresistible fresh-faced enthusiasm and eagerness) who becomes involved with a young woman (the excellent Kate Bailey) who seduces him into the protest movement. The opposition forces are a town official (Rob Hargraves) and the landowner/landlady (Martha Kemper). Kemper is the weak link in the cast, unable to deliver a line without shouting and pointing a finger, making her character a caricature with a comical walk; this is annoying to watch and wrecks the legitimacy of the play's political argument by giving her no sympathy or credibility.

The play has moments when it lapses into rally mode, but most of the time it is very clever. It is also that rare case where the second act is better than the first. Rebecca Wright's direction is brisk and accomplished, undaunted by the script's tonal shifts. And you really have to hear the astonishing "Mr. Peenie" song.

The Ballad Of John Wesley Reed Through April 1, Theater Catalyst's Playground at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-563-4330