These are the first two stanzas of a poem by Cedar Crest
College graduate, Kirsten S. Morabito. They might provide the
best review of the college theatre departement's current production,
"A Piece of My Heart".
Another simple testimony to the production was the number
of damp eyes in the audience at the end of the performance. A
Lieutenant Colonel a few seats from me repeatedly wiped his eyes.
Only the Civil War has torn Americans the way the war in
Vietnam did. Both tragedies stand as major events in our history.
But the Vietnam war is closer and deserving of the examination
it is currently getting in American art.
As a play, "A Piece of My Heart", is seriously
flawed and, perhaps, it is best described as a performance piece.
It is, however, a moving testament to the women who served, uniformed
and not, "the hell of Vietnam", as one character described
it.
The six women in the cast portray three nurses, a Red Cross
volunteer, a country western singer and an Army intellegence
officer. A single man performs all of the men in the piece. All
of them rise to the strong moments the script requires.
Given their ages, this seemed ironic, each of them was born
about the time, 1973, that American troops were removed from
Vietnam.
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They were reliving the pain, shock and turmoil of their parents
generation. This is a testament to the universality that can
be found on the stage.
Director Linda Baas deserves much credit for the strong production.
The weaknesses of the script - it often describes rather than
depicts the action and it is episodic - give the piece many directorial
problems. Baas, however, has overcome them well. She has found
rhythm and pacing, builds and strong movements in material that
could easily have been presented as a graphic and tortuous lecture.
Roxanne Amico's designs are well done, particularly her lighting
which is difficult in a small space that does not allow room
for extra instruments nor advantageous angles.
The choice of the small theatre was itself a strong one.
This is an intimate personal piece. The feeling, that at times,
one is listening to the character speaking to you directly, adds
to the power of the production.
A piece of their hearts is what each of these ladies left
in the field hospitals, USO clubs and bunkers of Vietnam. A piece
of their heart is what many who did not serve in Vietnam, including
many who actively opposed the war, would like to give to those
who did serve in that "hell".
A piece of their heart is what this young cast, that can
only imagine the pain and confusion of that era, gives to the
audience.
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The 1994 Lehigh
Valley premiere of Opal brought New York composer and author,
Robert Lindsey Nassif, to Cedar Crest for his first experience
with an amateur production of his musical. He was not disappointed.
A local newspaper review appears below.
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