Theatre & Stage reviews by SalsaChicago.com critic Al Bresloff

Last of The Boys (thru November 13)

Vietnam! Were we in a war , or merely a conflict? Why are those of us who lived through these times so haunted by the memories of Vietnam? Steven Dietz has written a fierce yet funny story about the legacy of the controversial "war" and Steppenwolf Theatre Company as part of the City-wide observance of the Vietnam War (Commit to Memory), has put together a wonderful production of this chilling story. Directed by Rick Snyder on a set designed by Todd Rosenthal with fantastic lighting by Ann G. Wrightson and sound by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen, the audience receives the sights and sounds to make this production exceed the expectations of what we anticipate from the Steppenwolf Company- the best. We feel that we are at an abandoned trailer park. We hear the sounds and feel the emptiness and aided by a first rate cast of actors, this production is one that everyone should see. If your old enough to remember the 60's this is a must! If your young enough to only have heard or read about this era, this show will be a learning experience that should not be missed.

The central characters in this story are Ben(the always perfect Tracy Letts),, who lives in the trailer, his best friend Jeeter ( the comic touch of John Judd) who teaches college students about the 60's and travels. While they served together in "Nam" they became very close, but Ben is haunted by his past, of what took place in his past , while Jeeter has been able to move on. Jeeter has picked up a young girl, who he feels will be the love of his life. Salyer (played with great zest by Mariann Mayberry) is a daughter of the war, having "lost" her father to it. Her mother who comes after her, Lorraine ( another brilliant performance by Amy Morton) is also haunted by the memory of her loss to the war. Her husband left before the birth of their daughter and she still makes a pot of coffee every morning (although she never drinks any) just to bring up some positive memories of before the day he left. These are all creatures who are stuck in their live so to speak due to the Vietnam War. There is a super naturalness to this story and their are ghostly experiences. I don't want to give away to much of the story, but I must say that there is also a wonderful performance by Christopher McLinden as the young soldier (representing some of the mystical portions of the story). As the play progresses, we do learn a lot about these people and while there are some very moving portions of the story, there is a great deal of comedy and the interplay between the four main actors is indeed a work of art. If you can- see this one!!!

Last Of The Boys will run through November 13th on the Downstairs Theatre stage of The Steppenwolf Theatre located at 1650 N. Halsted with performances as follows: Tuesdays- Sundays at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Wednesday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are priced from $20-60 (special discounts with student and military ID)and are available at the box office, by phone at 312-335-1650 or online at www.steppenwolf.org.