Ghosts of Vietnam haunt Greensburg Civic Theatre's season finale
Apr. 25—In Steven Dietz's 2004 drama, "Last of the Boys," the main character is a veteran still haunted 30 years later by his experiences in Vietnam.
The play itself has had something of a haunting effect on Sue Kurey of North Versailles, who will direct a Greensburg Civic Theater production as the final work of the troupe's 71st season.
Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road.
Kurey first saw a production of the play in 2013 at New Kensington Civic Theatre. She directed it in 2017 at The Theatre Factory in Trafford.
Why do it again?
"I asked myself that a lot, because this play is an emotional roller coaster," she said. "It's emotionally exhausting, but I love the story. And it's a story that needs to be told."
The play finds the veteran, Ben, working as a handyman and living a reclusive life in a California trailer park on ground polluted by toxic waste. It's 1999 and he's just skipped his father's funeral.
Ben's old Army buddy, Jeeter, a hippy-type college professor, arrives for his annual visit along with his new girlfriend and her off-the-grid, whiskey-drinking mother.
As the night deepens, the ghosts of the past start to reappear.
"So many people don't think of Vietnam as a real war," Kurey said. "It may not have been an official war, but what these men went through over there, and the fact that they're not always recognized for that, is sad.
"These men deserve to be recognized, and the play brings that to life."
Though the story is familiar to Kurey, working with a different set of actors makes it a new experience.
"There's a whole different take on some of the characterization," she said. "They're bringing so many things to the show that I didn't see the first time around.
"All of them have so many different insights to the play that I never thought of."
Questions and ideas
R. Philip Hilf of Forest Hills plays Ben and Johnny Patalano of Bellevue is Jeeter.
Kaitlin Cliber of Verona is Jeeter's girlfriend, Salyer, while Pamela Farneth of Pittsburgh is Salyer's mother, Lorraine.
Christopher Robin of Greensburg plays the apparition of a young soldier who haunts the gathering. Marcus Greenberg of Greensburg is stage manager.
Farneth, familiar to area audiences as both an actor and director, was in Kurey's production of the play at The Theater Factory.
"People don't give her as much credit as she deserves for being a dramatic actress," Kurey said. "Most people know her as a comedic actress, but they need to see her do this role."
It's the first time Kurey is working with the other actors.
"From day one, (Hilf and Patalano) came in prepared. They had questions, they had ideas," she said. "The things that they bring to the characters are so different from the last time I did it.
"They're in their 50s, which they need to be, because the play takes place in 1999," she added.
Though it may be an emotionally wrenching experience to watch "Last of the Boys," Kurey said, it carries a valuable message.
"Some of what is brought to light in this play is not pretty. It can be hard to watch," she said. "It's hard to think about the things that happened over there, but these guys do such a beautiful job of telling the story.
"I know that a lot of the veterans have a hard time with this kind of content, and I understand that, but I would love to see people come out for this play. It's really worth seeing."
Advance tickets are $16, $14 for ages 55 and older, $11 for students at 724-836-8000 or ggccevents.org. Add $2 at the door.
Veterans can attend for $10 by ordering tickets at gctheatre.org.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
