Review: Director John DiFusco Salutes Returning Veterans in EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Director John DiFusco, himself a Vietnam Veteran, opened the world premiere of Rebecca Stahl's EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN on Veteran's Day 11-11-16 at the Hollywood American Legion Post 43, produced by Karl Risinger and Liberty Theater. The play tells the interrelated tale of four generations of vets, each dealing with their own difficulties, who collaborate to help a Lance Porter, a young veteran coming home from the war in Afghanistan. who is haunted by the loss and experiences that followed him back and are destroying his personal relationships and life as he knew it.

"Invisible injuries, often with devastating consequences, follow our soldiers back home. I have always had a story in my head about different generations of Veterans, from all branches of the military, coming together to help one another heal. It's about the human condition we all share and the specific condition that veterans share, along with the hope that things are somehow going to get better," explains Rebecca Stahl; Playwright.

US Air Force veteran Jaimyon Parker portrays Lance Porter, the returning vet who is struggling with his inability to follow his dream of performing music when battlefield memories begin affecting his behavior around the other people in his life, especially his live-in girlfriend Brroke (Tania Verafield) who has to face Lance pulling his gun on her one afternoon when she returns from her nursing job at the VA Hospital, accusing her of having an affair with her boss, Dr. Ed Chase (J. Kenneth Campbell who also appeared in DiFusco's Vietnam Vets tribute play TRACERS).

We first meet Lance as he meets with Counselor Hawkins (Karl Risinger, who re-enlisted in the Army after 9/11), who is attempting to assist Lance in dealing with his return to his former civilian life. But when Lance's search for solace leads him to another bar, the cynical patrons threaten to lead him further down the rabbit hole in their attempts to advise him how to turn his life around. Curly the bartender (Campbell de Silva, a Vietnam War veteran whose returns to the stage after 30 years) offers Lance and understanding ear, sharing his own bitter war memories, especially speaking to the horror of having to shoot unarmed civilians and babies. But those memories only lead Lance into a deeper depression.

The aforementioned Dr. Ed Chase comes into the same bar during breaks at the hospital to "wet his whistle" and check out any single ladies hanging out in the place, especially "vets with a D cup" as his roving eye always seems to get him in trouble. When he notices the rather drunk beautiful blonde Sophie (Rachel Boller who also accompanies several scenes on violin and then portrays an officer who takes Lance into custody when his behavior crosses the line into violence), the good doctor manages to get her to stop drinking and take a cab home. And while we never really know why Sophie is drinking, Boller allows us to see her vulnerability, most likely after the loss of a loved one. That mood is also expressed in her violin playing, leading me to believe the two characters are one and the same.

Another bar patron, the vet widow Gertie (Caron Strong) adds in motherly advice for Lance. Gertie always nurses a Budweiser, and seems to fancy herself as the caregiver the men really need in place of lost family members, especially when offering Lance a shoulder to cry on which unfortunately leads her to drink more to hide he own emotional trauma at losing her husband in what she sees as the same senseless warfare.

Martin Walker (Vietnam vet Fred Hirz), who Lance hopes will assist in making a deal for him on his latest project he is sure will succeed. But when that doesn't seem to be coming to fruition, Lance lashes out at everyone around him, eventually leading Brooke to leave him which sends Lance into the downward spiral from which he may never return. But as everything finally works out for him, you will find yourself cheering for the power of the human spirit to overcome all obstacles as the actors take their final bows.

EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN opened at 8pm on November 11th (Veteran's Day) and runs 8pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 3pm on Sundays through December 11, 2016. American Legion Hollywood Post 43, 2035 N. Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA. Tickets $25 (Military and veterans $15). Free parking onsite. For information and reservations: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2709880

About Hollywood American Legion Post 43: The American Legion is the nation's largest veterans organization. With more than 2.5 million members and 14,000 posts across the country devoted to serving veterans, youth, and the community. Post 43 is a Hollywood institution, founded in 1919 by WWI veterans working in the motion picture industry. Its members have included Hollywood luminaries like Clark Gable, Charlton Heston, Mickey Rooney, Johnny Grant, Ronald Reagan, and more. The historic memorial clubhouse on Highland Avenue has been a Hollywood landmark since 1929. The "longest continually operating speakeasy in Hollywood," the post clubhouse is also a vibrant community center and event venue, with the famous Art Deco Bar, Cabaret Room banquet hall, and coming in 2017, a state-of-the-art film and digital cinema theater.

Photos by Ed Krieger

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