InterAct's "Last of the Boys" a Powerful Opening to Their 20th Anniversary Season!

Theater: InterAct Theatre Company
Show Title: Last of the Boys      
Opened: October 19, 2007
Seen: October 25, 2007
Reviewer: Amy Lewis
Submitted: October 25, 2007

When a show renders the audience speechless during the performance and gets them debating on their way out of the theatre, it’s clearly touched a chord. InterAct Theatre Company’s Last of the Boys is a dream come true for those who like to use art as a mirror to the human experience; vehicles by which to understand and explore the world around them. Last of the Boys does this unflinchingly and with incredibly powerful results.

To start, the play itself explores the post-Vietnam experiences of two ex-soldiers with a seemingly unshakeable friendship. Though both men have clearly been affected by the way, it is the manner in which they deal with their grief and trauma that plants the seeds for an intriguing psychological analysis. As new people with their own war woes are introduced to the precarious sanity they have created for themselves, the cracks begin to show. Though playwright Steven Dietz denies the play is an allegory for the war in Iraq, it is nearly impossible to not at least factor it in for context. The end product is not one that provides much in the way of closure, but certainly opens the mind to some vast issues.

 

InterAct Theatre Company and Director Paul Meshejian clearly understand that, when doing an intelligent show, intelligent choices must be made. Each decision in this production from the casting to the sets has obviously been carefully considered and lovingly detailed. The music played before, throughout and after the show sets the mood and historical context so well that one feels as though they are “in the heads” of their characters before they have even walked on stage. The set is simple, yet somehow it switches from feeling sedate and tranquil at times to hostile and desolate at others, much like the mindset of its inhabitants. As a result, the play transcends from being strictly for the Baby Boomers in the audience to a piece that is just as resonant to younger generations.

With only five people in the cast, the actors are called upon to create deep and intense connections in order to make their emotional wounds palpable to each other and the audience. Last of the Boys’ cast is certainly up to the challenge, creating strong ties that are fascinatingly frayed and repaired throughout the duration of the show.  

 

Jack Hoffman as Jeeter brings a manic vulnerability to his character that is utterly engrossing. Though seemingly wild and carefree, there is an obvious pain and fear lying just below the surface at all times that is both fascinating and heart wrenching to watch. Dan Kern brings a remarkable emotional arc to Ben, who, at first, seems serene and resigned to a simple life. However, as Ben’s world is thrown off balance, Kern conveys the terror and disillusionment he has been trying to ignore stunningly.

 

Karen Peakes and Susan Moses expose their characters’ wounds (figuratively and literally) at precisely the right pace. Revealing bit by bit the anguish lying beneath their odd self-defense mechanisms, Peakes and Moses allow the audience to empathize with their pain, rather than feel overwhelmed by it. David Strattan White manages to elicit huge emotional impact in relatively few lines. As the Young Soldier haunting Ben and Salyer, White embodies the wide-eyed sense of duty and innocence common to so many “boys” killed before they get to be men. His presence in the penultimate scene of the play is powerful and evokes a torrent of emotions with barely a word spoken.

 

For a thought-provoking, riveting theatrical experience, make sure to see InterAct Theatre Company’s Last of the Boys. With so many present-day lessons to be learned from past experiences, it is impossible for one to walk away feeling nothing after this production. In fact, InterAct has gone so far as to arrange post-performance talkbacks with scholars, community leaders and artists following Sunday matinee performances for those who desire to explore the issues raised further. Considering the rich theatrical and intellectual resources they are offering, InterAct should have plenty of theatre lovers lining up to report for duty.