Pvt. Wars at Center Stage Theater

Three G.I.s recovering from Vietnam War injuries while away their time on the terrace of an Army hospital. Gately, a hillbilly, fiddles compulsively with a disemboweled radio; Silvio, a streetwise, big-city type, is addicted to "flashing" (even though his sex organs have suffered—he thinks—irremediable battle damage); while Natwick, a prissy "rich kid" from Long Island, writes letters to his mother telling her how much he wants to become a close friend of Gately (while omitting mention of how actively Silvio dislikes him). Comprised of a series of brief blackout scenes, the play blends these into a meaningful mosaic as the three tease, torment, entertain, exasperate and, on occasion, solace each other—maintaining throughout a hilarity that belies their deep concern about the uncertainties of the civilian world to which they will soon be returning. Premiering at Actors Theater in 1979, the themes and messages of this show still resonate as strongly today as they did then.