In Conflict Review

Another great review from guest blogger Brady Russell!

In Conflict is a play based on the book of the same name by journalist Yvonne Lattey. It dramatizes the actual words of soldiers back from the Iraq War who she flew all over the country to visit with and see. They come from all branches of the military (except maybe the Navy -- I don't remember a member of the Navy), from different branches of service and different levels of command.

The thing that really impressed me the most about the play was the way the Director handled the transitions between scenes. There is this one really awesome moment where they simulate all the soldiers getting into an emergency position, and then the music stops and all the actors freeze, the room is dark, and they shoot flashlight beams into the audience, in clear imitation of those laser tageting systems you always see in the movies.

The play does get a little long, as it's one very, very sad and tragic story, told as a monologue, after another. You find yourself missing plot, you want the characters to interact with each other, but they don't. Not really. Any interactions are just pantomimed scenery, because it's unlikely that any of her informants knew each other. It's not really one story but lots of individuals' stories, one after the other, that only end at the point that the Director decided it should end.

Still, the stories were compelling. It balanced itself between soldiers who were glad they went, wanted to return, and those that would never go back, wished they hadn't gone, those that believed in the fight or hated our leaders for making them fight it. It might be frustrating for those who see it looking for answers about the war, but it's gratifying for those of us who appreciate those who won't let finding an answer get in their way of tracking down the truth.

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