Asolo Rep's 'Hearts' will pull at yours
"Here’s the big secret about war – you put on a uniform and kill people."
That flatly delivered statement by World War II veteran Donald Waldman (Douglas Jones) sums up a moving glimpse of war and its aftermath on veterans and family in Asolo Rep’s production of "Hearts."
Anyone touched by the horrors of war will empathize with the actors in "Hearts." Veterans of the Greatest Generation of World War II. Veterans of the Forgotten Generation of Korea. Vietnam. Gulf War, versions I or II or whatever. All will find a drumming chord echoing in their hearts in "Hearts."
Waldman is a Jewish-American from St. Louis who finds himself in Europe during the Second World War as an infantryman. He returns to the states pretty much unscathed, we think, except for some problems which manifest as the play progresses.
Asolo Rep’s production of "Hearts" offers a glimpse of the Greatest Generation, both during World War II and after as veterans struggle with ghosts of combat. Pictured (l. to r.) are Michael Joseph Mitchell, Douglas Jones, Peter Mendez and James Clarke. Photo by Frank Atura.
Waldman has an eating problem. His wartime buddy Babe (Michael Joseph Mitchell) can’t sleep. Other buds Herbie (Peter Mendez) and Ruby (James Clarke) have their own problems as well. Sometimes they all talk while playing the card game of Hearts. Sometimes they can’t talk about what’s worrying them years and years after the war,
The performance of award-winning author Willy Holzman’s "Hearts" flashes back in time to WW II and to the present. Time has not been kind to these members of the Greatest Generation, but they’ve been able to deal with the passing years with humor and compassion.
Director Greg Leaming expresses the play very well when he said, "We’ve gone through quite a few wars since World War II, and we speak so easily now about post-traumatic stress. We expect it. We prepare for it. But the Greatest Generation did not have that option. They had no name for what they were experiencing. They were shown horrors most of us can’t even imagine, and then they were told to forget these images when they returned. To speak of them was impossible. It would have been ‘unmanly.’"
Waldman’s wife Ev (Sarah Gavitt) was the long-suffering and long-loving companion. The final scene is a true glimmer of hope for all members of the Greatest Generation.
A spectral note is the liberation of Buchenwald prison in Germany by U.S. troops.
Set and costume design by Judy Gailen is basic and beautiful. The one-scene performance without an intermission flows seamlessly from one set of the stage to another and offers a near-score of scenes within the single act.
Lighting designer James Sale again punched the lighting just right. Sound designer Matthew Parker added touches to the play which augmented the performance perfectly.
Honors have to be given to the true heroes of this performance, its veteran military advisors: Lt. Col. USAF WWII (ret.) Len Gumley; SPC 1st. Class Vietnam Dennis Plews; PFC WWII Jacob Pollack; S/Sgt. WWII Harry M. Stimmel.
"Hearts" is a moving play. At times it is funny, at times frightening, at times thoughtful, at times horrifying, but at all times wonderful.