Review: This Is War (Signal Ensemble Theatre)

  
  
This Is War 

Written by Hannah Moscovitch
Directed by Ronan Marra
Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice (map)
thru Sept 28  |  tickets: $15-$20   |  more info
  
Check for half-price tickets 
  
  
   Read entire review
  

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A startling insider’s perspective of military life

Signal Ensemble Theatre presents

This Is War

Review by Katy Walsh 

The title says it all.  Playwright Hannah Moscovitch transports us to Afghanistan in 2008 and continually points at different scenarios and figuratively says, “this is war.”  The military examination is done as flashbacks from four different soldiers’ perspectives.  Moscovitch adds reflective narrations to connect the pieces as each person is interviewed by the media throughout the play.  Even though the media’s focus is on an external incident regarding the Taliban, the military unit is reliving an event within the ranks.  It all connects together as sleep deprivation and impulse decisions pile up the casualties of war.

Under Director Ronan Marra’s tight leadership, this ensemble does battle with their inner demons.  The story is a personal exposé of military life.  And this cast believably spirals in pain from their choices.  Moscovitch’s decision to tell the story from different angles allows Marra to pull a wide spectrum of emotion from his talented cast.  As the story unfolds, we see the rage, the cockiness, the vulnerability, the regret delivered in impressive performances by the foursome: Courtney Jones (Tanya), Billy Fenderson (Sarge), Dylan Stuckey (Anders) and Michael Finley (Jonny).  Their genuine angst makes their stories all rivetingly unravel.  The audience is left tying the frayed pieces together, resulting in a big pile of knots in our stomach.  And then the show climaxes with a iron-fisted punch to the gut delivered effectively by Stuckey.  This *IS* war!  

This show is a startling insider’s perspective of military life.  Although Moscovitch is a fascinating storyteller, the primary conflict is a little light to support all the other implosions.  The relational drama at the crux seems trite for a war zone.  Despite that flimsy platform, the cast engages with their intense accounts of what happened.  Primarily, Jones, Fenderson and Finley dodge the media inquiries during their spotlighted monologues.  So, the truth comes out in the edgy flashbacks of smaller choices that led to a whopper of a choice.  Marra facilitates the military maneuvers with blistering emotion.  

This Is War is a patriotic salute to servicemen fighting enemies; foreigner, domestic and internal.

Rating: ★★★

This Is War continues through September 28th at Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice   (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 3pm.  Tickets are $15-$20, and are available online through Vendini.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More info at SignalEnsemble.com.  (Running time: 90 minutes, NO intermission)

Photos by Johnny Knight 

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artists

cast

Billy Fenderson (Stephen Hughes), Michael Finley (Jonny Henderson), Courtney Jones (Tanya Young), Dylan Stuckey (Chris Anders)

behind the scenes

Ronan Marra (director), Tom McGrath (asst. director), Elsa Hiltner (costumes), Michael C. Smith (lighting design), Ivy Reid (master electrician), Stephanie Ingram, Joseph Stearns (props design), Melania Lancy (set design), Anthony Ingram (sound design), Roxie Kooi (stage manager), Tyler Rich (violence design), Johnny Knight (photos)

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